BubbleBoomer in Bolivia
by D. ZombiBrick
Summary: Finally finished this baby. For those of you beating me up over the chapters bit, remember, as Foghorne Leghorn once said, "You gotta be a magician to keep a kid's attention span for more than 2 seconds nowadays." It WAS written for KIDS!
1. Default Chapter

**__**

Bubble-Boomer in Bolivia

"Sugar...Spice...and everything nice...

these were the ingredients chosen to create the perfect little girl...

but Professor Utonium accidentally added an extra ingredient to the concoction...

Chemical X!!!

...thus, the POWERPUFF GIRLS WERE BORN!

...using their ultra-superpowers, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup have dedicated their lives to fighting crime and the forces of EVIL!!!..."

...ahhh, but the Professor's lab assistant monkey, Jojo, was also affected by the blast of Chemical X...unable to cope with the lack of affection from Professor Utonium, Jojo dedicates HIS life to destroying the very creation that led to his own freakish existence...

THE POWERPUFF GIRLS!

It is on that day that Jojo became...MOJO JOJO!!!

But... 

One evil plot after another fails to exterminate the Powerpuff Girls. Mojo Jojo is defeated time and time again. 

**__**

Until...

Mojo Jojo creates the Rowdyruff Boys using snips, snails and puppy dog tails with an extra kick from the toxic waste in his jail cell toilet. The Powerpuff Girls seem on the verge of defeat when, much to Brick, Boomer and Butch's surprise...

**__**

The Powerpuff Girls KISS them!

The Boys, now infected with 'girl germs' burst into a hail of snips, snails, and puppy dog tails. Blossom and Buttercup are thrilled and elated by their decisive victory... Bubbles, on the other hand, is saddened by the senseless waste...a single tear falls from her eye and lands in what is left of the Boys. 

"They were just little kids, like us." Bubbles states.

"So what, they're done!" Buttercup exclaims.

Blossom tries her best to console her sister. She helps Bubbles to her feet.

"C'mon, Bubbles, let's go home. It's over."

A heavy rainfall begins, washing the snips, snails, puppy dog tails, and Bubbles lone tear into the gutter. As the Powerpuff Girls fly away, a strange glow appears in the gutter...

**_...Brick slowly opens his eyes to discover that he is immersed in water! He desperately reaches for the surface...he breaks through...but where is he???_**

The stench of garbage was the first thing to hit Brick's nose. Looking around, he saw Butch and Boomer huddled on a ledge, shivering and wet. He swam over to them. Climbing out of the muck he asked, "Where are we?"

"Darned if I know." Butch answered. "I think we're beneath the city."

Boomer looked up. "Sewer system would be my guess."

Brick's red baseball cap floated by as he stood in front of his brothers. He reached for it, grabbed it, wrung it out then put it back on his head in his usual style: backwards. "Well, this is not a good place to be," he stated. " Let's get outta here."

The three Boys blasted off, ripping a manhole cover off the street as they went...

**__**

Thus begins our story...


	2. Chapter 1 Face to Face Again

**__**

Chapter 1 - Face to Face Again

The city of Townsville! Where a new day is dawning, and the Powerpuff Girls are sleeping peacefully in their bed...

Until...

Blossom, half-awake, heard a strange noise in their bedroom. It sounded like giggling. She tried to ignore it and go back to sleep. Then the smell reached her as well. The giggling she could ignore, but the stench was too much. She slowly opened her eyes to find a face directly in front of her, red eyes staring at her. In a flash, she sat up, swung out in defense, and landed a left-handed punch to the culprit's stomach, followed by a right-hook to the jaw.

Brick flew backwards and tumbled across the room. He sat up, glaring at Blossom, and wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Nice to see you again, too." he proclaimed, rubbing his stomach. "You'll be a hit for your first date."

Blossom zoomed out of the bed and landed directly in front of Brick's crumpled form on the floor.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

Brick reached out with a letter in his left hand. "Thought you'd like to see this."

Blossom snatched the letter from his hand and looked at it. On the front of the envelope, someone had written "The Remaining Powerpuff Girls". She scowled at Brick. 

"This some sort of joke?" she asked.

"Nope." Brick replied.

At that moment, Buttercup woke up as well. Seeing both Brick and Butch in her room sent her into a frenzy. She zipped out of the bed and went after Butch. Butch defended himself by landing a blow to Buttercup's face and wrestling her to the floor.

"Before you go getting all huffed up, don't you notice anything missing?" Butch asked her.

Locked in Butch's arms, Buttercup looked around. She noticed that only she, Blossom, and the two Boys were in the room.

Blossom spoke up. "Buttercup, wait a minute." she said. She had opened the letter. "What kind of monkey business is this?" she demanded of Brick.

Brick slowly stood up. "We were hoping you could tell us." He nodded to Butch, who released Buttercup.

Buttercup rubbed her neck. "I thought we got rid of you guys." she stated.

"Well, sorry to say, we're still here." Butch replied.

Buttercup reached up, grabbed a fistful of Butch's jersey, dragged him down to her level, and planted a kiss on his cheek. Butch pulled back and fell to his knees, screaming in pain. Then he looked up as a huge smile spread across his face. He chuckled at Buttercup who was wiping her mouth. "Not working this time!" Butch pointed out.

Buttercup got a look of disgust on her face. She spit on the floor and asked, "Why do you guys stink?"

"Long story." Butch replied.

Blossom shoved the letter in Brick's face. "So what's the deal?"

Brick sighed. "Can you read it to us?" he asked.

Blossom took a step back as realization dawned on her. "You guys can't read, can you?"

Brick looked at the floor. "Nope." he answered. "We haven't exactly had the educational opportunities you've had, now have we?" he sneered.

"So how did you know it was for us in the first place?" she shot back.

Brick slapped his hands over his eyes and replied, "'Cause we asked somebody, that's how! Now will you just read it!"

Blossom, still not trusting the Boys, did as she was asked and read the letter aloud:

__

"Dear Blossom and Buttercup:

Since I know you will be the ones to read this, since my "Boys" cannot do so, allow me to inform you all that I have taken both Bubbles and Boomer as my prisoners. They are with me, but not by choice! Let the game begin. Below, you will find the rules of the game. I will not tell you where I have them, you must find the clues to my location first. I will, however, start you out by saying that I and Bubbles and Boomer are in Bolivia..."

"Bolivia!?!" the remaining Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys said together.

"What's a 'Bolivia'?" Butch demanded.

"Not what, more like where." Blossom answered. "Bolivia is a country in South America."

"OK, so where is 'Bo-liv-yee-uhh?" Brick asked, stumbling over the pronunciation.

" Its geographical location is 17' 00'' south by 65' 00" west." Blossom answered.

The Boys and Buttercup just blinked at her.

"You wanna try that in normal language now?" Butch asked.

Blossom rolled her pink eyes. "OK, named after independence fighter, Simon Bolivar, it's just southwest of Brazil, north of Argentina and Paraguay, and east of Chile. It's landlocked, so no beach time there, area roughly 702,767 square miles, or about three times the size of Montana, third in size in South American countries, main religion is Catholic, does that help?" she asked.

"No, but at least one of us knows where it is." Brick replied.

"How the heck are we going to get there?" Buttercup asked.

"According to this letter, we have to go to three cities. We'll find clues to figure out where Bubbles and Boomer are by piecing the clues together." Blossom explained. "Once we figure out the clues, we'll find them."

"Who's the letter from, anyway?" Buttercup demanded. "It sounds like a bad B movie plot."

Butch rolled his green eyes in disgust. "Bet'cha it's Mojo." he guessed.

"You would be correct." Blossom answered. "He even took the time to sign the thing." She turned the letter so the others could see Mojo's flourish on the bottom of the paper. "He sure is proud of himself this time."

Just then, Professor Utonium burst into the room. Still in his pajamas, he yawned, "What's going on in here, girls, what's all the racket?" Then he saw the Boys. He suddenly came fully awake and his eyes bugged at them. "What are you doing here?! Girls, grab them while I call the police!"

Blossom stopped him. "No, Professor, wait!" She handed him the letter from Mojo Jojo. "Read this first."

Professor Utonium read the letter..."I have taken Bubbles and Boomer as my prisoners...blah blah blah, not by choice!...blah blah blah...are in Bolivia...MAMA-MIA!" He stared at the Boys, an angry look crossing his usually friendly face. "OK, what's going on here?" He wrinkled his nose. "And what is that awful smell??"


	3. Chapter 2 A Plan Forms

**__**

Chapter 2 - A Plan Forms!

Brick stood on his tiptoes and looked in as the water filled the tub. Professor Utonium stuck his hand in the water and swirled it around to check the temperature. 

"What's that?" Brick asked, a snarled expression on his face.

Professor looked at him. "It's a bath." he replied.

"Aw, man, no way! I don't wanna get in there!" Brick complained.

"What for?" Butch piped up. "What did we do?"

Professor Utonium sighed. "Boys, you stink! Strip and toss your stuff out in the hallway. The Girls will clean up your clothes while I clean YOU up."

"WHAT??" Buttercup shouted from the hallway. "No way!"

Blossom tried to console her. "C'mon, Professor is doing the hard part. We'll just throw the stuff in the washer and dryer. Easy enough."

Buttercup scowled.

Brick and Butch looked at each other. Brick shook his head. "No way! Not gonna do it." Butch nodded his agreement.

"Boys," Professor Utonium started, a stern tone to his voice. "If you're going to break into MY house and harass MY Girls, and then expect me and them to put up with your stench, you're crazy. It's either this, or I call the police and have you dragged out of here. You make the choice." The stern look on his face remained.

Brick was about to complain, then thought better of it. Reluctantly, he sat down and began removing his shoes. Butch sighed and resolved himself to the same fate. They tossed their soiled, stinking clothes out into the hallway, as instructed, then got into the tub.

Out in the hallway, Blossom and Buttercup watched as first one, then another, then another, THEN ANOTHER filthy shoe hurtled into view followed by first a red and black jersey, then a green and black jersey. The Boys' black pants came next, followed by their socks, and finally by Brick's red baseball cap. 

Buttercup grimaced. "This is nasty!" 

She got a broomstick from the hallway closet to pick up the Boys' disgusting clothes and put them into a waiting laundry basket. Blossom giggled. The two Girls took the Boys' clothes to the clothes washing machine and tossed them in. Buttercup poured soap in as the water began to fill the machine. Blossom added the fabric softener dispenser, filled to the top. 

"Whoa, isn't that a bit much?" Buttercup asked.

Blossom shook her head. "Won't hurt any, right?"

"True," Buttercup agreed. "Not like it'll make much of a difference. Sheesh, they stink!"

Back in the bathroom, Professor was scrubbing down the Boys. He poured shampoo on Brick's head and went to work. Brick shut his eyes and plugged his ears as Professor poured clean water over his head to rinse his red hair. Butch did the same after Professor was done scrubbing him as well. Professor pulled the tub plug to let the dingy water out. He handed each of the Boys a towel to dry off with. 

Just then, Blossom and Buttercup returned. Upon seeing the Boys wrapped up in towels, they giggled.

"Now, guys, don't you feel better now that you're all squeaky clean?" Buttercup snickered.

Brick rolled his red eyes. "...'Now that you're all squeaky clean...' SHUT UP! Only took the stupid bath to keep you three from complaining."

"That and to keep from landing in the slammer." Butch added.

Professor chuckled. "Now Boys, c'mon. It wasn't that bad, was it?"

Later, Professor Utonium sat on the couch surrounded by the Girls and the Boys. He read the letter from Mojo Jojo in full as Blossom attempted to comb the tangles from Brick's long red hair.

"Ouch!" Brick protested as Blossom yanked on a huge knot. "Quit it!"

Blossom floated above him, still holding her comb. "Stop your whining. I'm trying to get all the knots out of your hair, silly."

Brick rubbed his head. "Can you leave some of it attached, please?"

"Well, you guys COULD get haircuts, considering it looks like you haven't had them in awhile. Want me to get the scissors instead?" she teased.

Brick and Butch looked up at her. "Haircuts haven't exactly been high on our priority list." Butch replied.

Blossom turned Brick's head back around with a jerk. "Then hold still."

Brick winced as Blossom returned to her work. In the background, they could hear the Boys' sneakers thumping around in the dryer.

Professor continued. "Well, according to Mojo Jojo's demands, you four are to go to Bolivia. I can't go...I CAN'T GO?!" Professor ended, stunned. He regained his composure. "Hmmm, he's apparently making this hard as possible. You're not to take anything with you, you have to use public transportation, no law enforcement is to be notified, and you can't rely on any friendly embassies. Without me, how will you four find your way?"

"We'll just have to manage." Blossom answered. She gave a strong tug on Brick's hair. 

"Oww!" he yelled. Brick turned to glare at Blossom. "That's enough, OK?"

Blossom giggled. "Almost enough, but not quite. Gee, it sure is different to be on the delivering end of this instead of the receiving end!"

Professor gave both of them a stern look. Blossom and Brick shrunk back. He continued, "You have to first get to La Paz That's the capital of the country. It's also the only major city in Bolivia with airline access from the U.S. It's right about halfway down the left border with Chile. Mojo has a route here on a map. Only problem is, without me, I don't know how to get you there. If you use your powers and fly..."

"Can't," Buttercup finished. "You know that."

"Why not?" Butch demanded.

"Because, Butch, any unidentified flying object that cannot be reached through radio contact over the U.S. right now will be shot down by F-16's. I don't think you want that, do you?" Professor explained.

Butch looked at his toes. "Guess not. I forgot that part." He looked around for the hair tie that Buttercup brought him. He found it, looked at it, and scowled at her. "Can you find one that doesn't have a flower on it by chance?"

Buttercup rolled her pastel-green eyes. "Oh, alright. I was hoping you wouldn't notice." She flew upstairs and returned with a ponytail holder of more manly appearance.

Butch pulled his black hair back into it. "Thanks, hope it wasn't too much trouble."

"I think you guys need to put those haircuts on the top of your list of things to do," Buttercup grumbled, "Sheesh, you guys have longer hair than me!"

Butch sneered at her. "Jealous, now?" 

"Only 'cause you look more like girls than boys," Buttercup shot back. Butch scowled at her.

"We'll work on it," Brick stated. He gritted his teeth as Blossom continued to yank the knots out of his hair.

"OK," Professor began, "I think I can come up with a way to get you onboard a plane. Mojo says that no one must know of you travels, so we'll have to get you into the baggage compartment."

"The baggage compartment??" Blossom complained.

"Yeah, they don't keep track of that part all that much once the stuff has cleared the gate, right?" Buttercup guessed.

"Yes, and once you're passed security, no one will bother with you." Professor finished.

"Well," Blossom began, "It should be an interesting trip, that's for sure." She gave one last tug on Brick's hair.

Brick yelled his protest and shot up from the couch. "Ouch, that hurts! OK, that's the end of that!" Blossom got a sad look on her face. "Oh, you're no fun."


	4. Professor's Late NightAn Interlude

**__**

...Break...

Late that night...

Professor Utonium sat busily working on his computer. He tried desperately to find all the information on Bolivia that he could. He checked government records, travel sites, historical sites, and consulted several maps of the country. His printer whirred frantically to spit out all the documents Professor required. He then pulled several books from his encyclopedia set to find all he could on Bolivia. He became discouraged when he found that the country relied on mining activities for its economy. Visions of deep mines and endless water-filled tunnels came to his mind. Despite La Paz's apparent modern look, he found the rest of the country was hopelessly lost in poverty. Public transportation was difficult at best, and Professor wondered if the children would actually be able to get around safely.

It was very late by the time he finished, but he felt successful in his work. He gathered up the stack of papers from the printer, turned off his computer and headed upstairs. 

He passed the Girls' bedroom and peeked in. Blossom and Buttercup were in their bed, sleeping peacefully, but a sickening feeling overcame him as he noticed Bubbles' empty spot. His thoughts of not allowing Blossom and Buttercup to go vanished as he realized it was the only way he would ever see Bubbles again. 

He opened the door further to see the Boys also sleeping peacefully on the floor at the foot of the Girls' bed. He found it hard to imagine them as the rambunctious, evil doers he knew they were when he saw them. He wondered if there was truly any good in Mojo Jojo's creation. He resolved himself to give them a chance to prove themselves.


	5. Chapter 3 The Box

**__**

Chapter 3 - The Box

The next morning...

In his lab, Professor Utonium stood beaming over his creation. The Boys and the Girls ooh-ed and ahh-ed. 

"OK, kids, this is how we're going to get you into Bolivia." Professor said. He extended his arm over the metal box that stood before him. "It's a shipping crate. You four will hide in here, and then the retaining shelves will hide you from any outside view. There's another shelf that will go over you."

The box had several air holes drilled in it, each about two inches around and covered from behind with screening. "Let's see if you all fit." Professor said.

Brick, Blossom, Butch, and Buttercup climbed into the box between the walls of retaining shelves.

"Kinda cramped." Butch complained.

"It'll do." Buttercup answered, throwing a fierce look Butch's way.

Professor fit the top shelf above their heads. He closed the lid and locked it shut.

"Now, Buttercup, there's a spring release for the lock on the outside right by your side. Pull the lever and the lock should open." Professor explained.

Buttercup found the lever, pulled it, and the lock sprung open. They pushed the lid open from the inside, top shelf and all. 

"Neato, Professor!" Buttercup exclaimed.

Professor Utonium removed the top shelf to keep it from falling on the floor. 

"I just wanted to make sure the inside release worked." he said. He refit the top shelf to the lid of the box and secured it, a solemn look crossing his face. He turned without a word, and headed out of the room. The Girls were concerned, but did not approach him in his thoughts. Brick scowled at them, and flew over to the Professor. He landed directly in front of him, blocking his path out of the lab. 

"So, what's up?" he asked innocently.

Professor put his hands over his eyes. "I feel like the worst parent on the face of the earth. Not only has one of my girls been kidnapped and I can't do anything about it, but now I'm about to send my other two girls out, alone, to find her!" he stated. He shook his head. "This is madness."

Brick considered the Professor. "Hey, that's the game, right?" He shrugged. "Besides," he pointed to Buttercup and Blossom, "They're the superheroes, right? If they can't handle this, who else can?"

Professor Utonium smiled back. He chuckled, "Yeah, I guess..."

A growling sound filled the room. Brick grabbed his stomach and grimaced.

"What the heck was that?" Professor asked.

Brick grinned, "Just my tummy. I'm hungry!"

Professor instantly regained control. "Oh, I almost forgot! I can't send you four out with empty stomachs! I have to make breakfast, I gotta do the dishes, I have to..."

He wandered upstairs, still babbling. Blossom and Buttercup watched him go. 

"OK, I think Professor has gone coo-coo." Buttercup declared.

Blossom giggled. "No, I think he's fine."


	6. Chapter 4 Breakfast is Served

**__**

Chapter 4 - Breakfast is served

Brick and Butch had never seen so much food in front of them in their lives. Professor Utonium had whipped up pancakes, toast, eggs, oatmeal, French toast, bacon, waffles, fresh strawberries, cantaloupe, bananas, and cereal. He poured milk into cups for all four children and set them out. 

"Eat up, kids, you have a long trip ahead of you!" he exclaimed.

Brick and Butch dug in. Blossom and Buttercup helped themselves to pancakes, toast, oatmeal and fruit. 

As Professor Utonium sat at the table with them, Butch reached for the peppershaker. He tried to dump some on his eggs, but when it wouldn't come out, he began bashing the shaker on its end. When that didn't work, he closed one eye and peered into the shaker. Satisfied it was clear, he tried again, bashing on the end of the shaker while munching on a strawberry.

Brick chewed on a piece of bacon, looked at his brother, and said, "Little eggs with that pepper, Butch?"

Butch continued to pound on the end of the shaker. "Well, it won't come out! I like..."

At that moment, the top of the shaker fell off, spilling the pepper onto Butch's plate in a powdery cloud that drifted towards Brick. Brick held his nose and fought back the sneeze that was about to overcome him as his eyes watered.

"Well, not THAT much pepper." Butch said.

Brick put both hands on his nose in an attempt to keep the vicious sneeze he knew was on its way from coming. He drifted up and away from the table, his eyes still watering from the pepper cloud. Finally, he could no longer hold the sneeze back. He took a deep breath and gave in. 

"AAAAAHHH-CHOOOO!"

A wall of flames shot from his mouth, searing the table and setting it on fire. With wide eyes, Butch, Blossom, and Buttercup shot up from the table as Professor Utonium ducked under it.

Blossom took a deep breath of her own, and extinguished the fire with her ice breath. Everyone came from their hiding places to stare at Brick who was still floating above the table, eyes wide, hands over his mouth in shock.

"God bless you!" said Professor Utonium.

"Where'd THAT come from?!" Butch asked, a shocked look on his face.

Brick shook his head. "I don't know!"

"I guess you didn't know you could do that before." Blossom guessed.

"No, I KNOW I couldn't do that before!" Brick answered. "What the heck is wrong with me??"

Blossom shrugged. "Probably nothing. We each have our own special power. I guess you just found yours."

"Interesting how yours is ice breath and his is fire breath, isn't it?" Professor said, dusting ashes from his shirt.

Butch let out a ferocious burp, then grinned. "Well, it was good anyway!"


	7. Chapter 5 The Trip Begins

**__**

Chapter 5 - The Trip Begins

Professor Utonium prepared the box for its trip to Bolivia. The children watched as he first put a shipping label on it, then a warning label on its top. He gave the plastic shelves one last tug to satisfy himself that they would not fall in, then turned to the children. 

"OK, kids, time to get going." he proclaimed. He stopped suddenly, raised his hand and said, "OOO, hold on a second. I almost forgot." He hurried up the steps and out of the lab.

They watched him go, wondering what he was up to. Brick then turned to Blossom and Buttercup. He crossed his arms in front of him and said, "OK, truce time, here." He nodded towards Butch and continued, "This all comes down to our brother and your sister, right? So here's the deal. We put our differences aside and work together. No fighting, no funny stuff, we're now a team, like it or not." He extended his hand towards Blossom.

"We can do it if you can." Butch finished.

Blossom and Buttercup looked at each other. They nodded, then Blossom turned to Brick. "OK, but it's not just a temporary thing. If we do this now, it's for good. No more trouble from you guys ever again, agreed?"

Brick grinned and nodded. "OK."

Blossom took Brick's hand and they shook on it. "Team?" Brick asked.

"Team." Blossom answered.

Professor Utonium returned, his arms full of the books and papers he had been studying and printing the previous night. He dumped them all into the box.

"We're not supposed to bring anything with us." Brick reminded him.

"He said he'd have people watching us, too." Buttercup added.

Professor looked up, thoughtful. "Well," he said, "We'll call it 'packing material'. I don't want you going there without SOME sort of help. This stuff might just come in handy."

The two Boys climbed into the box first. They each shuffled the papers and books around them to make room for the Girls. The Girls got in next and sat down. Professor closed the lid and turned the lock. He grabbed a freight dolly and wheeled it under the box. He gently tilted the box back and headed out the door with it. 

Inside, Blossom noticed that the retaining shelves now had something in them. She tried to see what it was, but couldn't. Their ride to the airport was a bumpy one. Professor tried to talk to them, but they couldn't hear him over the sounds of the station wagon's engine and the shifting papers.

Finally, they arrived at Townsville Airport. Professor Utonium grabbed a large duffel bag, unloaded the box, and wheeled it up to the check-in counter. Two large security guards at the counter stopped him. 

"What's in the box?" one asked him. The name on his shirt proclaimed him as 'Mel'.

Professor smiled kindly at them and replied, "It's a science experiment. I'm sending it to my colleague in Bolivia. He's going to check my work out and see if I've got something here!"

Mel checked the shipping label on the box. To Buttercup, inside the box, it seemed as if he was staring directly at her. She shrunk back from the wall as much as she could. 

"La Paz, Bolivia." he read.

Mel's partner, Kyle, tapped on the warning label on top of the box. "So, what's this?" he asked. "What's in here?"

"Yeah, open it up, mister, we gotta check this out first." Mel instructed the Professor.

Professor Utonium shrugged. He put his duffel bag on top of the box with a thud and opened it. He pulled out a pile of clothing and handed one part of it to Mel. "Here, hold this a minute while I get my gloves, boots, and protective jacket on."

Mel looked at the helmet he was holding. It looked like a beekeeper's helmet and mask with heavy webbing on its front and a long, thick, canvass shroud around its circumference.

"What is this for?!" Mel demanded.

Professor looked up from putting on his thick canvass boots. "Oh, that's to protect me from them." He pointed to the box. "They're biogenetically mutated super killer bees!"

Inside the box, Butch jumped with a start. His dark green eyes widened as he panicked, and he opened his mouth to let out a yell. Buttercup grabbed him, planted her hand across his mouth, and held him still, shaking her head in an attempt to calm him. She could feel his heart pounding through his jersey.

"I anesthithezed them before I packed them, but I don't want to take any chances!" Professor explained. He took the helmet from Mel and put it on.

"Well, what about us?!" Kyle demanded.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure they're still asleep. Just run really fast if any of them come out. They're only dangerous if you get stung more than twice." Professor reached for the lock and began to turn it. Mel grabbed Professor's hand and stopped him. 

"Uh, that's OK, uh...you just go on ahead. Make sure that lock is tight, now, you hear?" Mel instructed.

Professor looked disappointed. "You don't want to see them? They're actually quite lovely!"

Kyle and Mel shook their heads. "Nah, you just go on."

Professor shrugged, removed his protective clothing, put it all back into the duffel bag, and started towards the gate. "Leave the bag, though." Kyle said.

"OK, no problem!" Professor replied. He dumped the bag at their feet and headed off.

At the gate, Professor sat with the box. He paged through a newspaper as people wandered by, looking at him. It looked like he was talking to himself!

"There's BEES in here?!" Butch whispered. "I HATE bees!"

"Relax, the retaining shelves will keep them from you. They're not really killer bees." Professor mumbled back. He turned a page in his newspaper. "You'll arrive at La Paz airport in the El Alto region. A cargo company there will take the box to the university. There's a science lab there where a good friend of mine works. He'll take possession of the box."

"Then what?" Blossom asked, whispering.

"Then, well, I don't know. I hate to say it, but you're on your own after that." Professor explained. "I can't help you, remember?"

"Do we have enough money?" Buttercup wondered.

"I hope so." Blossom replied.

"Does this friend of yours know about us?" Brick asked.

"Yes, he knows you're in there. He'll wrangle the bees and let you out." Professor answered.

"Yeah, but does he REALLY know about us?" Buttercup asked.

Professor shook his head. "No, he has no idea what you four can do. I only told him that I had to secretly get my children into the country for something very important. His hobby is bee keeping and honey cultivation, so it was good cover. My suggestion is to keep as low a profile as you can. Don't use any of your powers, known or unknown, unless you REALLY have to."

He looked up from his paper. "Time to go." He stood up and placed the paper on the seat. Two men approached him with a freight dolly.

"This the box?" one asked.

Professor smiled. "Yep, this is it!"

He stood back as the men loaded the box onto the dolly. They dragged it onto the dolly and shoved it back roughly, causing it to hit with a thump.

"Please, be careful!" Professor complained.

The men continued their work. "Yeah, yeah, mister, whatever." They wheeled the box away as Professor Utonium looked on. A feeling of hopelessness arose in him as the men and the box disappeared from his view. He sighed, picked up his newspaper, and headed out of the airport, wondering if he'd ever see the children again.


	8. Chapter 6 Aledante!

**__**

To Bolivia

It was noisy, hot, and stuffy in the plane's baggage compartment. The children were bounced around like ping-pong balls in a lotto machine. At some point in the trip, the bees surrounding them came fully awake. The drone of their buzzing was driving Butch insane.

"I can't take this much longer!" he yelled over the plane's jet engines.

"You have to now," Blossom yelled back. "Busting out of here right now will only let the bees out, too. Would you rather have that?"

Butch pointed to the release handle on the inside of the box. "Just use that!"

Brick let out a growl. He grabbed his brother by the scruff of the neck. "Just relax, will ya?" he yelled. "We're almost there. If you can keep it together for a little bit longer, we'll be outta here."

The plane's landing was rougher than its take-off. As it came down and the pilot hit the brakes, it bounced off the gravel runway, sending the box and the children tumbling forward in the baggage compartment. They landed upside down, the top of the box now beneath them.

Brick dug his way out from underneath of Blossom and Butch. "Ouch," he complained. He sat near the wall of the box facing the back of the plane and peered through the shelves. The bees were buzzing in a frenzy, but he managed to see passed them to the floor of the plane. 

"OK, follow my lead." Brick instructed. He began pushing on the wall, trying to tip the box back over. Blossom joined him and Butch and Buttercup leaned into them to get the box moving. They gave a shove, and the box fell onto the side Brick and Blossom were leaning on. Butch and Buttercup landed on top of them with a thud. They re-organized, repeated the motion, and the box flipped one more time, righting upwards.

Brick sat down with a plop and wiped his sweaty forehead with his jersey. He looked around, but now that the pilot had turned off the plane's running lights, he found it too dark to see much. He turned to Butch.

"Use your night vision, see where we are." he instructed.

Butch nodded. His eyes began glowing neon green as he peered through the shelves. "There's not much in here." he reported. "Bunch of boxes over there, some luggage and stuff over that way. We're not far from the door, though. Maybe if we can get the box turned closer to the door, we'll get off this bucket of bolts first."

Blossom and Buttercup stared in amazement. "You have night vision, too?" they asked.

Butch turned to them, the glow in his eyes fading. "Yeah, so?"

Blossom pointed to Buttercup. "She does, too."

Butch grinned at Buttercup. "Cool, isn't it?"

Buttercup grinned back. "Yeah, really cool!"

"OK, I like Butch's idea," Blossom stated. "Let's turn the box. We'll get it right in front of the door, that way, they'll have to move us first."

They took to their work, flipping the box one side at a time, directing it with their leans and shoves until it stood upright, directly in the doorway to the outside. They sat back down once their job was done, hot, sweaty, and puffing. 

Just then, the door rolled open. The sunlight pouring into the box was blinding. Two men grabbed the box and pulled it through the door. There was a rail of cargo rollers attached to the outside of the plane and the box slid down at a rapid speed. It crashed into a waiting cargo cart, throwing all four children against a wall. They knocked heads as it stopped.

"Ouch!" Blossom whispered, rubbing the side of her head. 

"Trust me, it wasn't good for me, either." Butch replied, rubbing over his left eye. 

The cart began to move, and the breeze created by their motion was refreshing. Brick leaned against the wall the breeze was coming through and let it cool his face. They heard a squeal of brakes as the cart stopped, then two more men mumbling as they approached the cart. The men picked up the box and threw it onto a platform. From there, the box was dragged into the back of a delivery truck, then the door was closed. It was stifling hot inside the truck, and the children began fanning themselves with the papers Professor had put in the box. 

The trip to the university seemed to take forever in the oppressing heat of the truck, but they at last arrived. The door to the truck opened, and the box was dragged out into the sunshine again. The truck door closed, and, in a blast of diesel fumes, the truck left. A pair of legs turned towards the box as Buttercup stared through the walls, trying to see where they were. A man's face came into view, startling her.

"Hello, there!" he said in a kind voice, thick with a Hispanic accent. "Let's get you inside where it's a bit cooler, eh?"

The cool air inside the lab was a relief. The man put the box in the centre of the room and unlatched the lock. Butch started to open the box, but the man slammed the lid back down.

"No, no!" he exclaimed. "Not yet!"

He put on a respirator mask with an air tank, then fed several tubes from a hidden canister into the box. The bees buzzed around the tubes, trying to sting whatever had disturbed them.

"OK, kids, now cover your noses and close your mouths. You no want to get a face full of this stuff. It'll knock you out just as well as it does the bees!" the man instructed them.

They closed their mouths and pinched their noses as the sound of hissing gas began. Looking around, they noticed that the bees began slowing down. Their frantic buzzing was now reduced to lethargic wandering. Finally, the gas stopped. The man removed all the tubes, removed his respirator mask, and opened the box. He carefully removed the top tray, giving the children their first look at the man. He was roughly five feet tall, dark-skinned, had black hair and dark brown eyes. When he smiled, they could see wrinkles around his eyes. He wore a white lab coat, just like Professor Utonium's, and silver-framed glasses.

"Well, hi there!" the man said. He noticed they were still holding their breath. He chuckled. "OK, you can let go now."

They let out their breath in a huff. One by one, they climbed out of the box to stand in front of the man.

"Who are you?" Blossom asked.

"I am Professor Utonium's colleague, Professor Gershwin. He and I have known each other for many years! We went to university together."  
Blossom smiled at Professor Gershwin. "Well, I'm Blossom!"

"...and I'm Buttercup." Buttercup said.

"Brick." Brick stated.

"I'm Butch." Butch said.

"I am very happy to meet you, little ones." Professor Gershwin said. "Here, something to drink! Long hot ride, I know." He wandered over to a huge refrigerator and pulled out four bottles of water. He handed one to each of them.

Brick tore his open and gulped it as fast as he could. Butch did the same as the Girls stood glaring at them.

"Pigs." Buttercup muttered.

Professor Gershwin grinned.


	9. Chapter 7 La Paz

**__**

Chapter 7 - La Paz

They stayed with Professor Gershwin for the rest of the day. He took them on a tour of the city, pointing out things of interest, historical sites, shops and restaurants.

"So, were you born here?" Blossom asked him.

Professor Gershwin nodded. "Yes, I was fortunate enough to be born here. La Paz has seen its share of bad times, but no longer! Look around! There are over 1 million citizens here, we are growing, we are forging a better future for our children! We are also the official head of the Bolivian government! But, things were not always so good."

"How's that?" Buttercup asked. "Looks pretty much like any other city to me."

"Ahh, but there was a time many years ago when La Paz was under the rule of the Spanish crown. They had the final say in everything, regardless of the fact that they were across the Atlantic Ocean. Tupac Katari and his followers laid siege to the city. They destroyed everything. Then the Indians did the same. In 1809, long after your own America had won its independence from Great Britain, we finally won ours from Spain." Professor Gershwin explained. 

The sky grew dark as they walked along towards the Museo de Etnografia y Folklore. Professor Gershwin ushered them inside the museum. As the door closed behind them, it began to rain heavily. They wandered around the museum for several hours, looking at the exhibits of customs and art of the Chipayas and Ayoreos.

"This house was built in the 1700's." Professor Gershwin told them. "It has survived through all the mayhem and chaos. The two groups displayed here are ethnic groups from this area."

Butch's stomach growled with hunger. He tried to ignore it and followed the others. The rain outside finally stopped, and they headed out of the museum. Professor looked across the street then motioned them to follow him.

"Who's hungry?" he asked.

"That's just what I wanna hear!" Butch exclaimed.

Blossom spoke up. "We can't go in there yet, though." she explained. "We only have this."

She pulled out a wad of American cash and showed it to Professor Gershwin. He looked shocked, and covered the money with his hands to keep it from view of the passers-by.

"Where did you get so much?!" he asked.

"Better yet, where was she hiding it??" Brick whispered to his brother.

"Professor gave it to us. We weren't supposed to bring it, but he insisted." Blossom explained.

"We can't spend that here, can we?" Buttercup asked.

"Yes, but it's not a good idea. It's like broadcasting that you're not from here." Professor Gershwin told them. "OK, I'll get it exchanged for you later. But right now, allow me to introduce you children to my favourite place! And don't worry, this one is on me!"

They enjoyed a fabulous feast of everything the local restaurant had to offer. Professor Gershwin ordered up Picante de Pollo, a spicy chicken dish, Majao, a rice and meat dish, Plato Paceño, typical of La Paz, and obviously Professor's favourite, and Salteñas, which they discovered were chicken turnovers. For side dishes, Professor ordered Escabeche, Chuño Phuti, dehydrated and frozen potatoes, and for desserts, he had the staff bring out Cocadas, or coconut candies, Helado de Canela, a tasty cinnamon sorbet, and Tawa-Tawas, which were sweet fritters. 

Buttercup turned her nose up at the Escabeche. She gave the dish a sniff as the waiter placed it on the table. She wrinkled her nose and asked, "What IS that??"

Professor Gershwin grinned and answered, "Escabeche! They're just pickled vegetables."

Butch shrugged, dug his fork into the dish for a huge helping, and shoved them into his mouth. Buttercup grimaced. "Yuck!"

After their meal, Professor Gershwin took them to the local bank. He turned to them sitting in the back of his car. He looked concerned.

"OK," he began, "Give me the money you have. You four wait here, and I will be right back."

Brick scowled. "No way, how do we know you won't leave us here and take off?" he accused.

Blossom elbowed him. "OK." she answered. She took out the American cash again and handed it to the Professor. He quickly counted it and said, "There's about 3,000 American dollars here. I don't know how many bolivianos that will equal, but it should be enough for whatever you want." He ruffled Brick's head, turning his baseball hat sideways, and said in a soothing tone, "Don't be so untrusting, my boy. We really ARE a decent people here. I'll be right back, OK?" He got out of the car, and walked into the bank.

Brick turned his hat backwards again and shot Blossom an angry look. Butch spoke up in his brother's defense. "So, how DO we know he's not gonna take off on us?"

"AND with all our money!" Buttercup added.

Blossom sighed. "Guys, we have his car. It's probably worth more than the cash we just gave him, so relax. See?" she pointed to the ignition. A ring of keys dangled from the keyway.

"Yeah, but does anybody know how to drive?" Butch asked.

"C'mon, how hard can it be? See, that's the gas...", Blossom pointed to the floor pedal on the right, "...and that's the brakes. Easy enough."

Their paranoia ended when they saw the Professor emerge from the bank. He had a large amount of money with him, but it looked distinctly different from the paper money they had given him. He opened the car door and quickly got in. He turned the key in the ignition, then turned and handed the money back to Blossom. "Like I said, it's not a whole lot, but should be enough for what you need."

"Sure looks like a bunch," Buttercup stated.

"About 22,300 bolivianos there." Professor Gershwin explained.

"And that's not a lot?" Brick wondered.

Professor Gershwin answered, "Let's put it like this. If you were to take that money Blossom's holding back to America with you right now, you would get a little over 300 American dollars back for it."

Their jaws dropped. "But,...but, we gave you $3,000!" Blossom complained.

"I know, I know, the exchange rate between here and your America is not very good. But, things here are not as expensive as in America either. Again, you should have enough bolivianos to get you what you want. Try to conserve it, though, OK?" he instructed.

Blossom nodded and put the money away. Professor Gershwin put the car in gear and they drove away. Only Blossom noticed the man standing in front of the bank's other entrance. He watched the car speed away.

The rain began again as they arrived at the Mercado de Brujas. Professor Gershwin looked around before letting them get out of the car. Brick groaned. "Man, it's raining again?" he complained.

Professor Gershwin chuckled. "Yes, my boy, it rains here just about every afternoon." He looked around the market and asked, "Are you sure this is where I'm supposed to drop you off? I don't see any place you would want to go."

Buttercup looked up at the marketplace's sign. "Hey, what does Mercado de Brujas mean?" she asked.

"It means 'Witches' Market'. They sell herbs and traditional Aymara remedies. Similar to your natural health markets in America." Professor Gershwin explained.

Blossom perked up. "Hey, this could be neat, then!" She turned to Professor Gershwin. "Thank you for your help. We appreciate it."

Professor Gershwin smiled. "It was my pleasure. I'm still not happy with the idea of leaving four children alone in a place unfamiliar to them. Professor Utonium insists you can take care of yourselves, though. I still think he is mad."

"Mad about what?" Butch asked.

"That means crazy or something." Buttercup explained.

Butch nodded. "Oh," he replied. 

Brick shook the Professor's hand. "He's right, so don't worry. We'll be OK. See ya!"

They got out of the car and jogged through the rain to the sidewalk. The four children went into one of the market's stores. Blossom waved good-bye as she went inside. Professor Gershwin nodded, turned and headed back to his car. He drove away without looking back. Someone else was watching instead.


	10. Chapter 8 The Next Clue and a Surprise

**__**

Chapter 8 - The Next Clue and a Surprise

Inside the store, the four could smell incense burning. An ancient looking woman, grossly obese, and wearing all black came out from a back room to the counter where they stood. She looked at them, waiting for them to say something.

Blossom stepped forward. "Hi!," she said. "We were told to come here and pick something up. We were also told that you'd know what we're talking about. Can you help us?"

The woman looked confused. " Qué?" she asked. She began speaking to them in Spanish. She waited for their response, confident they understood her.

Brick leaned towards Blossom and whispered, "Maybe we should'a had the Professor stick around a bit longer."

Blossom nodded blankly. 

"Where's Bubbles when we really need her?" Buttercup muttered.

Butch rolled his eyes and sighed. He stepped forward of the group and spoke to the woman at the counter. "Estamos aquí para recoger algo. Recibimos una carta..."

Her weathered face lit up as he spoke and a smile spread across her face. She acted as if she had known them all their lives. " Sí, sí! Encantada finalmente!" she responded as she invited them behind the counter. Butch motioned for the others to follow, but Brick grabbed him by his shirt.

"YOU speak the language?" he asked, a stern look on his face.

"Yeah, so what?" Butch answered.

Brick sighed. "You can't even read, yet you speak Spanish?!"

Butch shrugged. "Yeah, it just sounds like regular words to me."

"You're starting to scare me." Brick told him.

"Oh, and like your flame throwing act wasn't a surprise?" Butch joked. He grinned. "Hey, I'm a scary guy!"

Blossom, staring blankly at Butch, said, "Bubbles does, too."

Butch sighed. "Hey, I thought you would be happy."

Blossom shook herself out of her shock. "I am, I guess we just didn't expect it, that's all."

They followed the woman behind the counter into a back room. It was dark, and filled with Incan tapestries. A curtain of beads hung in the doorway and a huge multi-coloured, multi-patterned rug covered the floor. On the table in the centre of the room, was a basket of unidentifiable herbs. She went to a closet along the back wall, rummaged inside it, then turned with another letter in her hand. She handed it to Butch. 

Butch took the letter from her. "Gracias." he said. He in turn handed the letter to Blossom. She tore it open and began to read it.

__

"Dear Powerpuff Girls:

If you hold this letter, then you have put the first, yet the easiest, part of your long journey behind you. From this very room, you will go southeast to Ciudad Blanca, a city in the Chuquisaca region. The only way to get there from where you are now is by bus or train. You decide. There, you will go into the Museo Antropologico. You will find the next clue under the mummy.

Ahhh, but the first clue! Well, here it is. It is a riddle actually, a riddle that I will give you pieces to as you go. The first part is this: 

'I am grand, I am tall...and I can see for miles. I watched as mankind destroyed all that was here, and I will wait until he repeats his actions, for all that lay before me is mine!'

Go to Ciudad Blanca, now!"

"What the heck does THAT mean?" Brick demanded.

"That's the point. We don't have enough of it to figure it out yet." Buttercup answered.

Blossom turned the letter over to see a hand-drawn map showing Ciudad Blanca's location. "Well, it definitely shows the city southeast of here. It's towards the middle of the country."

Brick pulled a roll of papers out of his back pocket. "I brought some of those papers Professor Utonium put in the box. Will these help?" he asked.

Blossom paged through the papers. There were several on cities within Bolivia with information on the climate, brief histories, tourist attractions, and travel routes, but none listed a Ciudad Blanca. She studied several of the maps included with the travel routes, yet none of them showed a city named Ciudad Blanca. 

"Nope, no Ciudad Blanca here," she stated.

The woman who had handed them the letter perked up at the mention of the city's name. " Ciudad Blanca?" she asked. " Se dice Ciudad Blanca?" She snickered. 

" Qué?" Butch asked her.

"La Ciudad Blanca tiene muchos nombres," she informed him. "Se llama La Ciudad de Cuatro Nombres. Se llama también La Plata, Charcas, Ciudad Blanca, y Sucre."

"She says Ciudad Blanca has four different names, that's just one of them." Butch stated. "It's also called La Plata, Charcas, and Sucre. Sound like Mojo's playing games with us."

Blossom rapidly went through the papers again. This time, she found one that listed Sucre.

"Ah-ha! Got it!" she exclaimed. "It was founded as La Plata by Pedro de Anzures, Marques de Campo Redondo, in 1538, mostly due to mining activities. Says here it was renamed Sucre after somebody named Mariscal Antonio Jose de Sucre who fought for Bolivia's independence from Spain along with Simon Bolivar."

"Guess we're on track, anyway." Buttercup said.

Blossom looked around the store, then at Butch. "Ask her where the nearest bus station is."


	11. The Cage

**__**

The Cage...An Interlude

A row of flashlight beams startled them awake. They sat up and watched as several men grabbed the cage the two sat in and dragged it across the ground to a waiting crane. The men took an enormous chain, ran it through a metal loop on the top of the cage, and shoved the chain in the crane's hook. The crane then picked the cage up. They held onto the cage's bars as they swayed with the crane's movements. The crane then lowered them into a waiting truck. The cage was roughly dropped in the truck's bed and the men removed the chain. A canvass tarp with a frame similar to a tent's was pulled over the back of the truck, cage and all, and a flap was lowered and attached behind them. They were now in complete darkness. They heard the truck's engine start, then they began moving.

"This is not good." he complained.

She coughed as the fumes from the diesel engine filled the truck. "Well, if we're moving again, it can't be all that bad." she reassured him.

He tried again to break free from the cage. They had tried everything they could think of. Their laser eye beams were useless, they couldn't bend the metal, and their full force blasting off had only gotten them headaches.

"Boomer, give it up. We can't get out." Bubbles sighed.

Boomer plopped back down, elbows on his knees, head in his hands. He looked up at her. "So, how can this be good? You tell me."

Bubbles smiled. "You didn't hear them?" she pointed outside to the men hanging on the sides of the truck.

"Yeah, so? Didn't mean anything to me, I don't speak Spanish." he reminded her.

"Oh, yeah, that's right. Well, they said we have to move to the next spot. Before they catch up!" she explained, her eyes wide with excitement.

Boomer stared at her. "Which 'they'? You're confusing me."

Bubbles leaned towards him, as if what she was going to say were the world's biggest secret. "Blossom, Buttercup, Brick, and Butch!" she whispered. "They're here!"


	12. Chapter 9 The Journey to Sucre, Part 1

**__**

Chapter 9 - The Journey to Sucre, Part 1

The bus ride was relatively pleasant considering what they had expected. Brick looked out the window of the big bus and said, "This is neat!" 

They traveled along the Pan American Highway towards Oruro, the halfway point in their trip to Sucre. Buttercup took the opportunity to take a nap. Blossom sat thumbing through the stack of papers Brick had grabbed from their shipping box. She read everything, trying to learn all she could. Sitting next to her, Butch peered over her shoulder. He pointed to one of the pages and asked, "What's that say?"

Blossom smiled and answered, "It says 'Bolivia & Main Cities/Sucre'."

He nodded. "Oh, that's where we're going, huh?"

"Well, we have the stop-over in Oruro, first, but then yeah, we're headed to Sucre," Blossom answered.

"What letter is that?" Butch asked, pointing to the ampersand.

"It's not really a letter. It's called an ampersand. It's a short way to write the word 'and'. It's kind of like cheating when you write." she explained.

Butch grinned. "Neat!"

Brick leaned over from the seat behind them. He listened in on Blossom's explanation of the ampersand.

"OK, what's that word?" he asked, pointing to a different word on the page.

"'History'," Blossom replied. "It's like the past, stuff that happened before that was important or maybe influential."

For the rest of the trip, Blossom was in her element. She managed to teach the Boys the alphabet, the phonics of the letters, how to recognize their own names and how to read simple sentences. They were both thoroughly engrossed in what she had to teach them, and they learned quickly.

Blossom did not, however, lose track of a man standing at the front of the bus. He held a magazine and appeared to thumb through it nonchalantly, but Blossom had seen him before.

She paused at one point in her lesson with the Boys and leaned forward over the pages as if studying them intensely. She motioned the Boys to come closer and spoke to them quietly.

"Can you guys still hear me?" she asked.

Confused by the question, but sensing something was wrong, the Boys both nodded.

"Don't look up, but did you notice the guy at the front? Holding the magazine, Hawaiian shirt's pretty obviously not from around here?" she asked them.

Again, the Boys nodded. "Why?" Brick asked.

"He's been following us ever since Professor Gershwin changed our money," she answered. "I don't know why or who he is, but I don't like him following us."

"What do you wanna do?" Butch asked.

"Get rid of him is MY suggestion." Brick answered.

"Bingo," Blossom agreed. "Not now, though, we'll have to wait until we get to Oruro. Then let's lose him. If we can't lose him, we make sure he can't keep following us."

"No problema." Butch said.

"Consider it done." Brick added. He looked out the window and saw their destination bus station. "We're here."

Blossom gathered up all their papers as Brick woke Buttercup. The four got off the bus, ignoring the man as they passed him, headed out of the station, and turned a corner. Buttercup noticed the man behind them. "Somebody's following us." she whispered.

Blossom nodded. "We know. We're going to deal with him right now." She picked up speed in her walk and the other three followed her lead. The man sped up as well.

Around the next corner, Blossom began to run. The others did as well. The man behind them, seeing them start to run, took off after them. They ran even faster, then quickly turned down an alley. They stopped and took up positions to intercept the man as he came around into the alley. As he came into view, Blossom tripped him up as Brick shoved him forward. Butch and Buttercup pounced on him and pummeled him. He cried out for mercy as Buttercup dragged him to his feet. She and Butch then pinned him to the wall.

"Why are you following us!?" Blossom demanded.

" Dios mío!" he cried. " No me dañe!"

"Hable inglés, por favor." Butch instructed with a nasty grin.

"You speak Spanish?" the man asked Butch.

"Wow, and you speak English." Brick replied sarcastically.

The man's face twisted into an evil look. "You were told you would be watched, weren't you?"

"Watched, not followed!" Butch shouted.

"Who are you?" Blossom demanded. "And where's Bubbles and Boomer?"

The man shook his head slowly. "Truthfully, I don't know. None of us knows their location. They will be moved continuously to keep you from finding them until we WANT you to find them."  
"What's the deal? Why is Mojo doing all this? Seems a bit much, even for him." Buttercup growled.

The man laughed and replied, "It is the same game as always. He just didn't plan on YOU!" He glared and pointed at the Boys. "He was quite surprised to see you back. That's why he grabbed your brother when the opportunity presented itself. Now, the task he has to accomplish will be easier since he can deal with all SIX of you at once!"

"What 'task'?" Brick started. "I swear we'll..."

The man cut him off. "To be rid of you, what do you think? You are freaks in this world, genetic misfits. I have seen what the other two are capable of. I can only guess that you are the same as they are."

"So what's in it for you and whoever else thinks they can stop us?" Blossom demanded.

"Ahh, but there is where I will say no more. I will leave it at this: 'It is better to be at the right-hand of the devil than to be in his path.' Oh, and there's a bit of a twist here. He has informed the military forces of this country that you four are now here and plan terrorist actions here. You will have more than us to worry about. Let the game begin!" He broke into fits of laughter.

Buttercup became enraged. "Game over for you, mister!"

She shot upwards, a neon green streak following her rapid ascend, and grabbed a clothesline from an overhanging balcony. She and Butch zipped around him in a blur of dark and pastel green. The man was completely wrapped up when they were through.

"Over here, guys." Blossom indicated a garbage dumpster.

Brick and Butch picked the man up, flew over the dumpster, and dropped him in. Blossom and Buttercup slammed the two flap lids over him. The four drifted back to the ground and headed back towards the bus station to wait for their next ride that would take them the rest of the way to Sucre. They looked around them in a panicked attempt to see if anyone else was following. They could hear festivities of some sort about a half a mile away.

"We gotta really be careful." Blossom stated. "This could get really ugly."

"You ain't kidding." Brick replied. He plopped down on the floor of the bus station and leaned his head back against a wall. "How much farther to Sucre?"

"About 350 kilometers from here," Blossom answered after checking their map.

"Why are we taking the bus again?" Butch asked. "What if somebody else follows us?"

"Because there's no train service from here and the plane was too expensive. Remember, Professor Gershwin said to conserve our money." Blossom explained as she looked around for a clock and found none. "Wonder what time it is." Their next bus was due at 2:45 p.m.

Butch leaned forward from his spot on the floor and got the attention of a man walking by.

"Excuse, señor, por favor, tiene la hora?" he asked.

"Sí, sí, las dos y media," the man replied and continued on.

"Gracias," Butch called after him. "Two-thirty." he translated for the others.

They continued to sit, waiting. After what seemed like hours, Buttercup stood up. She looked angry as she straightened out her dress.

"I'm going to find out where our ride is," she grumbled. "I'm sick of waiting." She walked towards the exit as Brick motioned for Butch to follow her. "Aw, man!" Butch complained. He did as he was asked, and trotted after Buttercup, catching up with her outside the gate. They saw several buses out front, but none was apparently theirs.

Buttercup, having noticed that Butch was with her, suggested, "C'mon, let's ask somebody. I hate waiting."

Butch spotted a young man further down the sidewalk from them with a duffel bag at his feet. Buttercup stayed back as Butch approached the man and spoke to him. She saw the man laugh and look at his watch. Butch then turned and headed back, shaking his head, to where she stood.

"He says time is meaningless. I guess late buses are nothing big here." Butch explained to Buttercup.

"Aw, man, this stinks!" she replied. 

The two wandered through the row of buses and emerged into an open driveway. Buttercup suddenly stopped short as she noticed a group of men in military uniforms at the ticket counter. Butch ran into her with a grunt.

"What the --," he began, but Buttercup hushed him. She pointed to the military men across the driveway, knowing if they saw her and Butch, that the four of them would be in serious trouble.

"I don't think they saw us." she whispered.

As if he in fact heard her, one of the men turned to see her and Butch standing in the driveway. His eyes widened with recognition and he yelled to his companions who all turned the same way. Then the group started running towards Buttercup and Butch.

"Uh-oh!" Buttercup gasped.

Butch grabbed her by the hand and the two of them ran back the way they had come. They dodged the crowds now gathering to get on the buses and went back inside the station. They ran towards Brick and Blossom as the men behind them reached the front door.

"Get up!!" Buttercup yelled. "Run!"

"We're in trouble!" Butch added.

Brick and Blossom looked up just as the military men came bursting through the doors. The men pushed and shoved their way through the people in the station as they tried to chase after the four.

Brick and Blossom jumped up and ran after Butch and Buttercup. They headed toward the back of the station to find the rear door chained with a padlock on it. Butch and Buttercup slammed into it, bursting the lock and breaking the chain. They found themselves in a back street that ran behind the station. The parade they had heard earlier was now making its way past the spot where they stood.

"Come on!" Blossom urged them and ducked into the parade. The others followed her as she zigzagged her way up through the parade's participants dressed in bright costumes and face paint.

The men following them came into the street. There were hundreds of people lining the streets to watch the Diablada parade. Within the parade, Brick suddenly stopped short, surprised, as one of the party-goers blew alcohol out of his mouth and ignited it with a torch he held in his hand. As the puff of flames extinguished, Brick glared at the man. "Yeah, big deal, I can do that, too!" he shouted as he contiuned after the others.

One of the men chasing them pointed as he saw Brick's red hair and red baseball cap in the crowd. He and the rest headed in the same direction, elbowing their way through the crowd.

The parade turned right and the four stow-a-ways followed the flow. They passed a restaurant where there were several people wrapped in ponchos, apparently sleeping. They then passed a small shop with a display of a devil's head with a poncho draped over it and a large sombrero over its horns. Butch snatched the poncho and hat. He grabbed Blossom's shoulder, dragged her out of the parade, and forced her to sit in another shop's doorway. As Brick caught up, he grabbed Buttercup out of the parade route. He set her down in the doorway next to Blossom and grabbed the other end of the poncho as Butch tossed it to him. The Boys swung the poncho around the four of them as they crouched under it and Butch put the sombrero on top, fully hiding them from view.

The parade looped left and up the next street. The military men, having missed the Boys' disguise, went with it as it continued on.

They allowed a few minutes of silence before Brick dared peek out into the street. He let out a sigh of relief upon seeing the quiet street.

"That was too close." he stated.

"WAY to close," Buttercup agreed. "What was that parade for anyway?"

"Diablada." Blossom answered. "I think it's a pagan holiday, a devil's day. They dress up like demons and basically celebrate the times before the Catholics."

Suddenly, they heard the loudspeaker from the bus station. Butch sprang to his feet and threw off the poncho. "Let's go, that's our ride."

They ran around the station's side, climbed on the bus, and sat as far in the back as they could. Nerves began to get the best of them as they waited for the bus to pull out. Finally, in a blast of diesel fumes and a grinding of gears from the ancient bus, they were on their way.


	13. Chapter 10 The Journey to Sucre, Part 2

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Chapter 10 - The Journey to Sucre, Part 2

The rest of the trip was hot, noisy, and bumpy, yet fairly uneventful as they traveled the 400 plus mile rubble road to Sucre. Buttercup decided the heat was too much and resumed her nap as Blossom frantically went through Professor's research papers again.

"What are you looking for?!" Brick demanded.

"I'm trying to see if there are any pictures of typical clothing in here. If Mojo's got people following us, our clothes are our worst enemy!" Blossom answered.

After what seemed like days, the bus arrived in Sucre. The four cautiously got off the bus, left the station, and headed down the street outside through an open air market. The Boys' stomachs growled with hunger as scents of roasting meats, baking breads, and fresh fruits filled the air around them.

"Man, I'm starving!" Brick declared.

Blossom stopped and threw the papers she had been leafing through on the ground in frustration. "There's nothing here about customs!" she raged. "How are we supposed to 'keep a low profile' if we stick out like sore thumbs?!"

Butch directed the two Girls into a darkened doorway, a determined look on his face. "C'mon, Brick, got a plan."

The two Boys headed off into the market. The Girls sat in the doorway, impatiently awaiting their return. Blossom reached out and collected the papers and resumed paging through them.

"Where'd they go?" Buttercup wondered, "This is bad. What if they get lost?"

The Boys returned soon afterwards, their shirts bulging. They motioned for the girls to follow them into a nearby empty shop. Brick ripped the padlock off the door and pushed it open. Inside, the Boys unloaded several articles of clothing they had stuffed under their shirts.

"Here's our stuff." Brick stated. He handed a pair of blue denim shorts, canvas sneakers, and a khaki coloured shirt to Buttercup. He gave Blossom another pair of blue denim shorts, white slip-on shoes, a white shirt with red trim and a pastel-blue scarf.

"How did you guys get all this?" Blossom asked. "I still have our money!"

Brick grinned. "The ole' 'five-finger' discount." he replied as he took off his red and black jersey and tossed it on the floor.

"How did you know what to grab is the better question." Buttercup asked.

Butch sighed. "We looked around. All you gotta do is see what everybody else around you is wearing to fit in, get it?"

The Girls smiled. "Yeah, that makes sense. Boy, am I thick sometimes." Blossom stated.

The Boys changed into short sleeved shirts, Brick's charcoal grey and Butch's yellow and red. Butch's had a number 45 on the back. "Some sorta soccer player shirt." he answered when Buttercup asked.

They stood looking at the Girls, who had not moved. "Well?" they both shrugged.

"Yeah, you look OK." Blossom answered.

Brick sighed and looked at the roof. "No, you gonna change or what?"

"Well,...uh...", Blossom began, looking embarrassed. 

Butch realized their problem and said, "OOPS, sorry." He grabbed Brick by the shoulder and the two of them turned around with their backs to the Girls. The Girls changed quickly, tossing their dresses, stockings, and shoes in a pile with the Boys' shirts.

"OK, we're done." Buttercup stated.

The Boys turned around. Butch pointed to Blossom's head. "You gotta lose the red bow, Blossom."

Blossom pouted, but removed her bow and hair clip. She tossed them on top of the clothes on the floor.

"We have to cover yours and Brick's hair, too." Butch said.

Brick looked confused. "Why?" he asked.

"Look outside, Brick, you see many people here wandering around with long RED hair?" Butch pointed out.

"Oh, yeah, I guess you're right," Blossom agreed, looking at both Butch's and Buttercup's black hair.

"That's what the scarf is for, Blossom, so if you'll turn around I'll try...", he stopped as she turned with her back to them. The Boys looked at each other in stunned silence. The scarf Butch had lifted for Blossom only covered to just above her waist. Her hair, on the other hand, fell to just below her knees. 

"Oh, man." Butch moaned.

"What?" Blossom asked.

"Uh, nothing, just hold still for a second. There's something in your hair." Brick lied. He grabbed Blossom's hair up in his hand, just above the scarf, and then hit it with his laser eye beams, cutting it off cleanly. The scarf now covered her hair.

"HEY!" Blossom yelled, spinning around to see a long handful of her hair still in Brick's grip.

Brick shrugged. "Gotta tough it for now, right?"

Blossom shot him an angry look as Buttercup held back her snickers as best she could.

"OK, now YOURS!" Blossom pointed to Brick. Brick shrugged, pulled a long piece of leather string out of his pocket, tied his hair into a ponytail with it, and then tucked it under his baseball cap.

"Done." he said with a grin. Blossom rolled her eyes in disgust.

"No good, Brick, the hat's gotta go." Buttercup stated. "Too bright."

Brick removed his hat, threw it on the floor, then jumped up and down on it. He kicked it around in the dust on the floor, then picked it up, shook it off, and put it back on. "Done." he snickered.

"C'mon, let's go." Blossom grunted.

They went back outside the vacant store, carrying their discarded clothes under their shirts, and looked around for anyone watching them. They passed a covered trash bin and dumped the clothes into it, then blended in with the people in the marketplace. As they passed an open bin with sunglasses in it, Blossom ripped off two pairs. She handed one pair to Brick and put the other pair on herself. "Red and pink eye colours aren't very common here, either." she explained.

"Yeah, we get all the hassles." Brick sighed.

Blossom studied the map drawn on the back of the second letter. She then compared it to where they were.

"OK, I think if we go down this street then turn left, the museum should be right around there." she explained.

"What kind of museum has mummies in it anyway? Do we have to dig them up or something?" Butch asked.

"No," Buttercup giggled. "This will be a strictly dirt-free cemetery."

Butch groaned. "Man, I just know this is gonna be sick. How many mummies do you think are in there?"

"I hope not too many, otherwise looking under every one could take longer than I think any of us really want to spend." Blossom stated.

"So," Brick started. "Who gets to do 'the looking'?"

"Ugh, I'm not!" Buttercup declared.

"Let's get there first, then decide, OK?" Blossom suggested.

Brick snatched a melon from a fruit vendor's cart as they passed it. Blossom grabbed him by the ear and dragged him back. She pulled out some of their money, smiled to the vendor, and paid for the melon.

"That hurt!" Brick complained as they walked away, "Conserve our money, remember?"

"Stealing from some poor guy on a street corner is not something I want to get into the habit of doing while we're here." Blossom shot back. "We've done enough of that already." She indicated their ill-gotten clothes.

Brick pulled the melon apart and handed each of them chunks of it. "Man, this is awesome! Where do they get this stuff?"

"It's probably imported. According to these papers on the country, there are zero permanent crops in Bolivia. They import just about everything." Blossom stated.

"So, if they import all their food, what do they send out?" Buttercup wondered.

"Bolivia is big into minerals, like potassium, lithium, magnesium and boron, and metals. Bolivia produces more tin than any other place in the world." Blossom answered. "It's just a tough living, since the land the stuff is in is hard to access and transportation here isn't very good once they DO get the minerals and metals out of the ground."

"So, what do they grow? I mean, we saw plenty of farmland, what do they use it for?" Brick asked.

"They only have two seasons here, their 'winter' is like our fall and spring, and summer the rest of the year. The upper regions of the country apparently concentrate on vegetables, since the coal they have is too uneconomical to get. They have coffee, sugar, and cocoa in some areas there as well." she continued. "Actually, their biggest source of income is tourism. Well, that and narcotics. It's apparently rampant enough here that they have several types of law enforcement to stop it." 

They reached the museum, went inside and looked around. They saw pottery displays from ancient Indian tribes of eastern Bolivia, recovered skulls from the area pertaining to the same tribes, even a reconstruction of a mud house the Indians would have lived in. 

Then they found the mummy room. Their jaws dropped as they saw the enormous room was filled with mummies in caskets, mummies in simulated earth graves, even mummies in glass cases.

"Aw, man, this is awful." Butch decided. 

Blossom walked over to a mummy lying in a casket. She climbed up on its edge, looked around to see if anyone else was watching them, took a deep breath, then reached into the casket. She pawed around under the mummy, its dry, rough bandages rubbing on her hands and arms, its spice/musty smell filling her nose, but found no letter. She carefully lifted the mummy's legs. 

"Don't mind me." she said to it. Still, she saw no letter. She floated back to the ground, leaned against the casket, bent over, hands on her knees, then looked at the others. They had watched her with mouths hanging open. She stood up, brushed her hands together and asked, "OK, who's turn is it now?"

Brick shook his head, paused, then proceeded on with the next casket. He, too, found no letter. "This could take all day." he complained. "C'mon, chicken-hearts, if we spread out and each take a section, we'll get done a whole lot sooner."

Buttercup made retching noises, but followed Brick's suggestion. She and Butch each took opposite corners of the room while Brick and Blossom continued on in their sections.

Buttercup swore she felt one mummy move, then reminded herself that the person had been dead for longer than she had been alive. With each mummy she came to, she hoped she would find the letter in question sitting directly in view, but knew they couldn't get that lucky.

Butch had his own situation as one of the earthen graves he reached into began to come apart. He jumped up and floated away from the mummy as it slid.

"Catch it!" Blossom shouted.

"Not a chance!" Butch answered.

Blossom shot over to the mummy, her pink streak glowing in the dark room and caught the corpse before it hit the floor. Her face twisted in a grimace as she noticed that one of this mummy's eyes was still very plainly visible. It stared at her with glassy oblivion as she gently placed the mummy back into its earth grave. She turned to Butch and said, "Please be careful, will you?"

After several hours and major cases of the creepy-crawlies, they felt they had looked under every mummy. But they did not find the letter.

"This is taking way too long. What does he mean by 'under the mummy' anyway? Under the caskets, under the displays, what?" Buttercup snapped.

Brick wiped the grit from his hands onto his pants. He looked around the room again. "He wouldn't have put it inside one of the glass cases, would he? I mean, how would he have gotten it in there without somebody seeing him?"

Blossom shook her head and answered, "No, he couldn't have. Those are in those cases to preserve them. The cases are airtight so the bodies won't decay any further."

Buttercup huffed, "You wanna bet on that?" She crossed her arms in front of her.

"No," Blossom replied, "If there's a way, Mojo would figure it out. It's worth a look, anyway." 

They surrounded one of the mummy cases and tried to see inside. Buttercup and Butch searched the dark interior of the case with their night vision to no avail. They were beginning to lose hope.

"Under the mummy, under the mummy, under the mummy," Blossom repeated over and over. She wandered around the room, studying the first clue letter and its wording. She looked at the room of mummies, all of which had been searched. She shrugged. "Maybe there's another room somewhere else..." she thought out loud.

"Aw, c'mon, go through this again?!" Brick moaned.

Blossom looked up and noticed several shelves of skulls staring blankly back at her. She looked around the room and noticed that all its walls were lined with similar displays of skulls. She paused a moment to read a plaque underneath one set of skulls. "1905 - found in what was believed to be a residential dwelling." The Spanish description of the same set of skulls meant nothing to her. Something about the plaque and the first clue letter clicked in Blossom's head. She spun around with the letter upheld, her eyes wide with excitement, and faced the others.

"Butch, remember you said that Mojo was just playing games with us?" she asked. 

"Yeah, so?" Butch answered.

Blossom pointed to the row of skulls. "These were all found in the same house. A family! What if Mojo is STILL playing games with us? He'd know we'd take him literally and search all the mummies first, right?" she explained. "I think he's trying to throw us off...instead of 'mummy', how about 'mommy'?" she finished.

The others looked around the room at the skulls. There were numerous sets of family displays on the shelves above their heads. The four of them zipped up and flew around the room, looking under all the skulls. 

"Oh, for cryin' out loud, Blossom, that's it!" Butch yelled from one corner of the room. He flew back to the ground, holding one of the skulls he had looked under. There, taped inside the brain cavity, was the letter. He reached into it and grabbed for the letter.

" Niños?" they heard from behind them. They spun around to face a museum security guard. Butch slipped the skull behind his back, unnoticed by the guard.

"Uh, hola, señor," Butch replied and waved innocently.

" Dónde están sus padres?" the guard asked, looking around the room behind them.

"Casa de Café," Butch lied, pointing towards the exit "a nuestra madre no le gustan los muertos." He laughed and elbowed the others to follow suit. Once they did, the guard relaxed. He ushered them out of the room and waved to them as they headed toward the door. The guard turned from them and walked away.

Butch quickly pulled the skull from under his shirt, ripped the letter out of it, then perched the skull over the head of a statue of a pagan god on a marble podium. They left the museum quickly and ran down the now darkening street. Once outside, giggles held back for too long came bursting from them.

"What did you tell him?" Blossom asked.

"I told him our parents were next door at the coffee house 'cause our mom didn't like dead things." Butch answered.

"Can you imagine if he'd come through that door about 5 minutes earlier?" Buttercup said.

"Yeah, we'd be in deep doo-doo now." Brick replied. He looked around the street as the coming night rolled in. "We gotta find someplace with some light to read that thing."

"Yeah, that would be a plus." Blossom said.

" Ahh, niños, dónde están sus padres?" they heard from behind them. They turned to see a kindly woman dressed in a nun's habit. She smiled at them and asked, " Están desviados?"

"She thinks we're lost, I guess 'cause it's dark out." Butch translated for the others. 

The nun began walking back up the street in the direction she had come from. She turned to them and motioned for them to follow her. "No soy picara."

"I guess she wants us to go with her." Butch guessed.

Blossom shrugged. "She's a nun. How bad can she be, right?"


	14. Chapter 11 You're Only in Trouble if You...

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Chapter 11 - You're Only in Trouble if You Get Caught

They followed the woman back to her house. It was a modest home with small rooms, a side balcony, and several open windows. They noticed a large crucifix over the doorway to the kitchen. The nun was in the kitchen stirring something in a large kettle on the stove. The delicious smell made the Boys' stomachs growl.

She invited them to her table and served them all. She set out four glasses of milk, but to Brick, it looked distinctly different. The others drank their milk, but he only sniffed his.

"What is this?" Brick asked, indicating the glass of milk.

Buttercup looked at him. She blinked her eyes and sarcastically replied, "Uh, just milk, Brick."

He gave the glass another sniff. He closed one eye and turned to Buttercup. "Doesn't look like any milk I've ever had. It's blue!"

"It's probably goat's milk." Blossom said as she finished her glass. "Pretty good, too."

"Goat's milk?" he repeated.

"Well, yeah, have you noticed many cows here?" Blossom pointed out.

Brick shook his head and pushed the glass away from his plate. "Not going there."

The stew she had served them was a wonderful concoction of pork and vegetables. She also had made corn bread.

Blossom took out the letter and opened it. She began reading it to herself over her dinner.

"Well, what does it say?" Buttercup demanded.

Blossom glanced to the nun who had returned to stirring her stew. Butch turned to her and asked, "Señorita, hable inglés?"

She turned and shook her head, the smile never leaving her face. "No, no, solamente español." she answered.

Butch nodded to Blossom. "Read it, she won't understand it anyway. She doesn't speak English."

Blossom began reading the letter aloud. "OK, here it is:"

__

"Dear Powerpuff Girls:

So, you have found the 'mommy' that was the keeper of this letter. Did you enjoy the museum? You have done well, and allow me to assure you that Bubbles and Boomer are awaiting your arrival. Soon, you will all be together again. Enough pleasantries. 

Here is the second clue, or actually, the second part of your riddle. Do you still think you can figure it out and defeat me? 

'I stand on my hillside with arms wide open, waiting to give those who come comfort and peace, as a mother does a child. Little do they realize that I will soon unleash my power from this elevated spot, my white robe will smother them!'

You must now go to..."

Blossom stopped to yawn. Her eyes felt heavy and she could hardly keep the letter held in her hand. She looked across the table and saw that Butch had laid his head down and fallen asleep.

Buttercup started to laugh hysterically. "...'unleash my power...'", she snickered. "Gee, he sure is full of himself." She also felt incredibly tired, yet she couldn't stop laughing.

Brick and Blossom watched her as she tried to stand up and fell back into her chair. She continued to giggle and laid her head on her arms on the tabletop.

Blossom, her eyes heavy as well, asked, "What's wrong with her?" She dropped the letter on the floor, but when she went to pick it up, she fell out of her chair.

Brick had seen enough. He got up from the table to help Blossom, but saw that she was out cold.

"What the -" he started, then he saw the nun standing in the kitchen doorway. She looked considerably different now that she had an angry scowl on her face. A man in a military uniform stood behind her. He was all of six feet tall, short black hair and depthless black eyes. He smoked a thin cigar. He pointed to Brick.

" Por qué está el niño despierto?" he asked the nun.

She answered him without taking her eyes off Brick. "No le gusta la leche."

The man walked up to Brick. Brick held his ground, waiting to see what the man would do. The man crouched down to Brick's level then taunted him in Spanish. "Aww, niño pequeño, no comprende el español, eh?" he chuckled.

Brick socked the man in the nose, sending him flying backwards. He landed with a thud on the floor. 

"Bet'cha YOU understood THAT, huh?" Brick yelled at the man. He felt a sharp stinging prick in his right side that made him jump. Surprised, he looked down and saw what looked like a dart sticking out of his shirt. He grabbed the thin metal cylinder and pulled on it. It had gone through his shirt and had stuck into his ribcage. Its orange tassel hung between his fingers. He noticed the room had begun to spin in front of his eyes. He dropped the dart, stumbled backwards, lost his balance, and landed on the floor on his rump so hard that he bit into his tongue. He tasted blood in his mouth. He tried to wipe his mouth, but found he had lost all feeling in his hands.

Several men in similar military uniforms stepped into the room and surrounded him. Four more men came in the front door and began moving the children from the table to the outside of the house.

The man Brick had slugged got up and walked over to him. Again, he crouched down and spoke, this time in English. "Now we add a new twist to the game, my boy."

Brick lolled his head back and looked at the ceiling as the room began to grow fuzzy. He tried to take off and break through the ceiling, but the men surrounding him grabbed his ankle and threw him back down to the floor. He tried to get back up, but one of the men shoved him down on his stomach. 

"Just hold him still until the tranquilizer does the job." the man with the cigar ordered.

Two of the men fell on Brick, pinning him to the floor. The first man dropped his knee squarely in the small of Brick's back. The second jammed his forearm across Brick's shoulder blades and leaned into him. Brick tried to throw them off, but found all his strength was fast leaving him. He fought back the haziness in his eyes, but he was losing the battle. The man blew cigar smoke in his face and declared, "As for paybacks..." He stood up and kicked Brick in the ribs until Brick fell into unconsciousness.


	15. Chapter 12 The Challenge is Made

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Chapter 12 - The Challenge is Made

Brick woke up with a start. His entire body ached and he could taste dried blood in his mouth. He slowly sat up. "Ow!" He grabbed his right side as the pain there shot through him. 

It was now daylight, and he saw Blossom, Buttercup, and Butch also waking from their dazes. 

"Uh, my head." Buttercup said.

"Yeah, me too. Headache like you wouldn't believe." Blossom stated.

Butch rubbed his eyes, then the back of his neck. "Trust me, I'd believe it. What happened.?"

Brick spit on the dusty floor. "Told you that milk was no good." He rubbed his side trying to get the pain to ease.

"How do you know?" Buttercup snapped. She leaned her aching head in her hands.

"'Cause I didn't drink it and I'm the only one they shot instead." Brick explained.

"Huh?" the others gasped together. Brick lifted his shirt. His right side was swollen and horribly bruised. "Some kind of knock-out dart." he stated.

Blossom crawled over to him. She put her hand on his side and felt it was warm to her touch. She gave a little push and Brick jumped back.

"Ow! Quit it!" he yelled. He squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his side.

Buttercup slowly stood up to look out the room's single barred window. "Where are we?" she wondered.

"Santa Cruz," they heard from behind them. "Santa Cruz de la Sierra. You are in one of the Jesuit missions, Santa Ana, to be precise."

They turned towards the voice and saw a tall, thin, fairly ominous looking man standing at the bars that crossed the door. 

"How'd we get here?" Butch demanded.

The man rubbed his chin in mock thought. "Ah,...by truck. 610 kilometers. Quite a naptime for you four, eh?" He chuckled. Then he pointed at Brick. "What's'a matter with you?"

"Nothing," Blossom spoke up. "We're all fine." She looked at Brick who was still doubled over in pain.

"The Colonel will be here shortly." the man told them. "You wait here."

Butch stood up, an angry look crossing his face. "What's to keep us from busting out of here and kicking your butt?" he asked.

The man seemed unaffected by Butch's words. He pulled out a hand-rolled cigarette, tapped it on the back of his hand, lit it and inhaled deeply. He blew the smoke out in a long puff. He looked at Brick and said, "I think HE will slow you down considerably." He grinned. "The Colonel has something I'm sure you kiddies will want. Just be patient." He turned and walked away.

"This stinks!" Buttercup complained. "C'mon, let's bust out anyway."

"No, Buttercup, that guy's right." Blossom replied. "Brick's hurt pretty bad and we can't leave without him."

"No, I'll make it," Brick stated, "I don't need to be babied." . 

Blossom gave him a sideways look. "Yeah, sure."

"So, what now? We just sit here? No way," Buttercup said. "We can break right through this! Look," she picked at the wall. "Nothin' but cement. We bust the wall down, then come back for Brick, simple enough."

"You will find it very difficult to break that wall down, my dear." The man with the cigar was standing in the doorway. "It has recently been reinforced with a special new metal framing. Try, if you like." He stood nonchalantly looking at them.

Buttercup became enraged. She flew at the bars in the doorway like a green lightning bolt. She slammed into the bars, but they didn't move. She backed away, stunned, then again tried to break through them. She attempted to bend the bars. Then she tried to pull them from their mounts, but to no avail.

Butch reached up and grabbed her by the waistband of her shorts and dragged her down. "Give it a rest, will ya?" he instructed her. She floated into the corner and leaned against the wall, arms crossed in front of her in anger.

Blossom sat blinking in amazement. "What kind of metal is THAT?" she asked. She had never seen a set of bars that Buttercup couldn't find a way through.

The man lit a cigar and stood looking at them, a smug look of satisfaction on his face. "I am Colonel Cunada, head of the military of this country. I am pleased to finally meet you four face to face. I have heard quite a lot about you. I see by your display, miss, that what I have heard is indeed true."

Blossom glared at the Colonel. "Heard from who?" she demanded.

Colonel Cunada chuckled. "Why, from your monkey friend, of course."

"MOJO JOJO?!" they said together. Blossom stood up and approached the barred doorway. "So, you're in with him, too, huh? Where's our sister and brother? What's Mojo up to?" she demanded.

Colonel Cunada shook his head slowly. "No, no, I am not 'in with him', as you put it. I am actually working against his people. For the ones who deliver you to him will be awarded the secrets of his astounding new metal." He grandly indicated the bars in the doorway. "I intend to be the recipient of his technological wisdom, not those godless mercenaries working with him."

"So, tell us where he is and we'll bring him to you." Butch offered.

The Colonel shook his head. "No, I don't think so. You see, so far, you four have eluded my men too many times. Now, we will control your fate so you can lead us to Mojo. I think you will want this eventually..." he reached into his jacket and produced the next letter. "...but first you will earn it. Then you will share the information it contains with me. No more disappearing into the crowds. I intend to keep a tight rein on you from now on."

"Why don't you just read it for yourself?" Buttercup snapped.

"Now, that wouldn't be very fair, would it?" the Colonel taunted her.

"So how do we earn it?" Brick asked.

The Colonel paced back and forth across the doorway. "You will earn it by competing for it. This is a game, so let's truly make it an interesting one."

"You just name the game, Colonel," Blossom said, an angry expression on her face. "We'll beat you at any game you wanna play."

The Colonel stopped and puffed on his cigar. "Very well, then, a game. Two hours from now, it will begin. Oh, and there will be none of that flying from the four of you. Just to keep it fair." He walked away, chuckling to himself.

Butch turned to the others. "What happens if we lose?"

"The four of you die." the Colonel replied from down the hall. "Your Mojo did not say you had to be living upon delivery." They heard a large metal door open and slam shut.


	16. Chapter 13 The Game of Their Lives

**__**

Chapter 13 - The Game of Their Lives

Two hours later, they looked around the arena they had been led into. There were large nets at either end and lines similar to a football field minus the hash marks.

"What is this?" Buttercup asked.

"A soccer field." Butch groaned. "Man, I hate soccer."

A gate at the opposite end of the field they now stood in opened and Colonel Cunada walked out onto the field, puffing on another cigar as he approached them. Several of his men accompanied him with rifles.

Colonel Cunada swept his arm around to take in the field. "Soccer, a truly wonderful sport. You will play my men for the letter."

As he spoke, the opposing team arrived on the field. Twenty-two men in all stood before them. The Colonel righted his jacket and put on a pair of sunglasses. "I realize 22 mere men against four super powered children is a bit uneven, but I'm sure my men will make the game interesting." He turned and picked up a soccer ball and placed it on the ground in front of Blossom. "Play ball." He walked off the field.

"Uh-oh," Blossom began. She looked at the eleven men remaining on the field waiting for them to put the ball into play. She then looked to the side line where the rest of the team waited until it was their time to play. "OK, guys, speak up. How many do you think you can take on at once?"

Buttercup looked the team's starting lineup over. "At this point, probably four or five at a time."

"Butch, how 'bout you?" Blossom asked.

"Same here." he replied.

"Brick?" Blossom asked.

Brick leaned over, the pain in his side now ripping insanely through his body. "Totally healthy, probably half a shift's worth. Right now..." he shook his head. 

"Great," Blossom sighed. "That leaves a possible eight more, even if Brick **_could_ **take on half a team right now. I don't know if I could beat that many at my best, let alone more than that."

"What choice do we have?" Buttercup asked.

"Good point," Blossom nodded. "OK, we play his silly game. Butch, you're goal. We'll do the best we can to keep them off you."

The Colonel shouted at them to begin the game. Blossom shook her head and kicked the ball into play. The Colonel's team raced up the field towards them quickly closing the distance between the two teams. The men took possession of the ball and zoomed around the children. They headed for the goal as Buttercup ran to catch them. "Man, this is not good!" she yelled.

They scored on Butch easily. Butch picked up the ball and angrily threw it back onto the field. They played for several hours as Colonel Cunada's team relentlessly advanced down the field and scored goals.

Blossom, Buttercup, Butch and Brick huddled in their end of the field during a break in the game. They were breathing hard and thoroughly exhausted. Brick's side ached and blood oozed out of his mouth.

"This is impossible!" Butch exclaimed, "How long does this game go on?" 

Blossom pointed to a large area in the wall of the arena to their left. "He said when that dugout is completely shadowed, the game's over." The dugout she referred to was already growing dark.

"We can't beat them all." Butch stated.

"We're gonna lose big time." Buttercup huffed.

Blossom shook her head. "No, we can't lose. Besides, the Powerpuff Girls never lose!"

"Then we're gonna need a miracle." Buttercup replied.

"No, we need to CHEAT!" Brick stated. 

Realization dawned on them and they grinned in spite of their imposing task. 

"OK," Blossom said with a sly grin, "Let's play."

The Colonel's team raced towards them, the ball in their possession. Blossom stood ready to intercept. She made a lightning fast move around the man with the ball, took possession of the ball, and headed back the other way as the men quickly turned to chase her. The turf welled up behind her as she ran at top speed. She kicked the ball with all her strength at the goal. The goalkeeper jumped in front of it as it came towards him. It hit him directly in the chest, driving both him and the ball deep into the goal net.

"Score!" Buttercup shouted. 

The opposing team attacked again, this time getting past Blossom. Buttercup stood her ground as they approached. One of the men kicked the ball towards the net. Buttercup quickly spun into a neon green tornado, deflecting the ball from the goal and back up field to Brick. He sped up the field and one of the defensive players made a move to kick the ball away, but only managed to knock it into the air. As it came down, Brick slammed it with his head towards the net. It whistled past the goalkeeper and blasted through the back of the net.

The game continued on for several more hours as Blossom, Buttercup and Brick continued to smash the ball into the net for goals. Butch blocked every attempt by the opposing team to score on him, causing them to suddenly be on the losing side of the game. Colonel Cunada became more and more enraged with every goal the four children scored.

Finally, the game ended as the shadows fully enclosed the dugout. Blossom, Buttercup, Brick and Butch celebrated their decisive victory as the opposing team trudged off the field, exhausted and defeated.

The children approached Colonel Cunada and stopped in front of him. Blossom put her hand out to him and said, "We won, give us the letter."

The Colonel, instead, tucked the letter back into his jacket. He had a smug look on his face as he spoke. "You will not get the letter. You cheated."

"WHAT?!" Buttercup yelled. "No way, we didn't cheat! A deal's a deal, pal, give us that letter!"

"You said no flying. We didn't fly anywhere!" Butch protested. 

"We played by your rules, Colonel, and we won," Brick stated. "We earned that letter."

"A matter of opinion," Colonel Cunada replied. "I say you lost. You didn't have enough participants on your team, so you automatically forfeited the game. You will all be shot in the morning." He lit his cigar, turned, and walked away. 

Butch and Blossom, both mad as hell, took off after the Colonel, their streaks following behind as they accelerated. They tackled him and Butch pummeled him while Blossom ripped the letter from the Colonel's jacket.

The Colonel's soldiers, upon seeing their commanding officer being beaten on the ground, went into action. Blossom, Buttercup, Butch and Brick turned to see the men running towards them.

"Let's go!" Blossom shouted to the others. The four of them took off straight into the air as a barrage of gunfire followed them. The soldiers watched in amazement as four streaks of colour glowed in the sky, one red, one pink, one dark green and one neon green. The game was apparently over.


	17. Chapter 14 What's That Sound?

**__**

Chapter 14 - What's That Sound?

They headed out over the city. As they flew, Blossom ripped their latest letter open and read it aloud.

__

"Dear Powerpuff Girls:

By now, you have traveled much of the trail. I am certain that you have also figured..."

"Why does he never mention us?" Butch yelled in anger. "He obviously wrote the things in advance and put them all over the place before we ever got here, but he had to have known we'd be here, too!"

"'Cause, you guys can't read, dummy!" Buttercup hollered. "Does it really matter?!"

"Hey!" Brick yelled at her. "Just 'cause we can't read doesn't mean we're stupid!"

The three of them continued to argue as their frustration levels reached maximum points. Suddenly, Buttercup attacked Brick, crashing into him in mid-air and the two tangled together. As they fought, they lost altitude. Buttercup saw the ground coming up fast so she wrestled Brick under her as they both landed hard. Buttercup slammed Brick into the ground, face first. A long, deep trench formed behind them as their momentum dragged them until they stopped.__

As Buttercup stood up, proud of her victory over Brick, Butch sped in, snatched her off of Brick, and threw her into a tree. The tree snapped in half and fell over.

Buttercup stood up and glared at Butch. "Two on one, huh?" she snarled. She shot out of the broken tree and went after Butch. She wound up, preparing to pound both Boys.

Blossom snatched her by the arm and stopped her in her tracks. She glared at all three of the combatants and shouted, "CUT IT OUT!!" She released Buttercup but continued to glare at her. "This isn't helping us one bit! Now, if the three of you are finished..."

Brick climbed out of the trench and stood next to Butch. They huffed and puffed with exhaustion and glared quietly at each other. Finally, Brick spoke up. "All right, all right. But, maybe that did help."

Blossom turned to him with an angry look. "OK, how?"

Brick sighed. "Look, we've all been whipped up into a frenzy, right? Hopefully, that helped us all blow off some steam. Now that we've had our first and hopefully last brawl on this trip, we can keep going as a team."

Butch took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You're right." He looked at Buttercup. "I'm sorry I chucked you into a tree."

Buttercup nodded and looked at the ground. "Yeah, OK, and I'm sorry I smashed you into the dirt, Brick." she said. "And I'm sorry I called you guys dummies."

They all reached out a hand and piled one on top of another. "Team." they said in unison.

"Read the letter, Blossom." Brick said.

Blossom began again.

__

"Dear Powerpuff Girls:

By now, you have traveled much of the trail. I am certain that you have also figured out that though you are unaware of MY location, I am aware of yours at all times. My minions will continue to follow you as they have from the beginning. Here is the next clue for your puzzle:

'Though the terrain which surrounds me is rocky and steep, still they come searching for enlightenment. I await the day to give them that which they seek with timeless patience. That day is now approaching fast.'

You will now go to Trinidad. Hurry for Boomer and Bubbles are hanging by a thread!"

Blossom let out a heavy sigh. She looked around and said, "Well, we don't have any of the papers the Professor gave us anymore, but if I remember correctly, Trinidad is north of here."

"It can't be that hard to find." Brick suggested. "If worse comes to worse, we can probably buy a map or something."

Blossom took out what was left of their money. "I hope we have enough." she said as she counted the few remaining bolivianos. "We still have to..."

Butch suddenly grabbed her arm and hushed her. He turned his head and listened. "You hear that?"

They all stood trying to hear what Butch referred to with their ultra sonic hearing. Faintly, they all heard someone crying Blossom's name.

With wide eyes, Buttercup spoke up. "That sounds like Bubbles!"

"Yeah, she can't be too far away! And, it would make sense! If Mojo's got people following us, they'd have to stay together as a group to both keep tabs on us and report back to him!" Blossom explained. "That guy from the first bus even said they were moving Boomer and Bubbles each time we get to another place!"

Brick nodded. "Yeah, and I bet'cha that's what that room at the mission was for. Remember ole' cigar man said it had recently been reinforced with those bars. They must've had Boomer and Bubbles in there. Why else would they need the room reinforced?"

"But, how is she yelling like that without anybody else hearing her?" Butch asked. "Not only that, but why haven't we heard her until now?"

"That's her sonic voice. It's so loud that it can't be heard by regular people, if she wants." Buttercup explained.

"And this is the first time we've been out in the open without a bunch of people around to cover the sound." Blossom guessed.

"Hey, I can do that, too!" Butch beamed proudly.

Buttercup looked at him. "You're weird." she said. "Why are you and Bubbles the same instead of you and me? Doesn't make any sense."

Butch shrugged. 

"OK, if the next place we're going is Trinidad, north, then they must be headed the same way. Let's go before they get too far ahead of us." Blossom urged.

They took off again, but Blossom slowed a bit. "No trails!" she yelled. "No sense letting them see us coming!"

The others slowed enough so their coloured trails stopped. The group continued on, scanning for any signs of their siblings.

"They'll have to be on a road of some sort." Brick guessed. "I somehow doubt they're walking."

"Right." Blossom agreed. "Here's the plan. If we see them, you guys go in and grab them while Buttercup and I cover for you."

"What?" Butch complained. "I think the other way around is a better plan."

"Oh, don't worry, little boy, you'll get your chance. For now, we'll handle the scene." Buttercup teased.

"Plus," Blossom added. "Remember Brick's still hurt. It'll be better if we take care of any obstacles."

"Yeah, go ahead, blame it on me." Brick said as Butch glared at him.

"Any time I can't have fun it's your fault." Butch declared.

"Is not!" Brick answered.

"Is so"

"Is not!"

"Is so..."


	18. Chapter 15 Rescued!

**__**

Chapter 15 - Rescued!

Bubbles sat back in the cage as tears welled up in her eyes. She had been calling for her sisters for days, but it seemed as if they weren't coming.

Boomer unplugged his ears and turned to her. "Man, that's loud." Then he noticed her crying. "C'mon, they'll be here. Just give 'em a chance."

As if in answer to his statement, he heard a familiar sound. He jumped up and looked to where the sound was coming from. He squinted with his wide-angle vision and saw four forms coming through the sky. He grinned.

Brick pointed to the cage dangling from a crane. "There they are!"

Blossom saw the crane and the cage. "Mojo said they were hanging by a thread."

"Time to break that thread." Buttercup declared.

The four of them dove down over the mass of Mojo's thugs. Blossom and Buttercup blasted the thugs' trucks, supply crates, and anything else they could hit with their laser eye beams to cause chaos in the camp. 

Bubbles stood up and began to jump up and down with glee. "They're here!" she screamed.

Boomer grabbed her and held onto her tightly with one arm. He grabbed a tight hold of one of the bars in the cage on the side from which his brothers approached. He then hooked his feet through the bars on either side of himself and Bubbles. "Hang on, we're going for a ride."

Brick and Butch shot towards the crane and snatched the chain the cage dangled from. The chain snapped and the Boys took off with the cage. They flew over a long, wide path of trees, but Boomer noticed they were slowly losing altitude.

"What's wrong?" he yelled to his brothers.

"Brick's messed up." Butch yelled back.

"I'm not messed up!" Brick shouted. "This thing's heavy!" The strain of carrying the heavy cage was pulling hard on his aching side.

"How is he messed up?" Bubbles yelled.

"I am NOT messed up!" Brick shouted again. "Boomer, Bubbles, push up from the inside of this thing, try to take some of the weight off!"

Boomer and Bubbles did as they were told. They shoved on the roof of the cage with all their strength. Boomer looked at Bubbles. "This thing IS heavy!"

Bubbles looked behind them. "Where's Blossom and Buttercup?" she asked hysterically.

Butch turned and looked. "They're coming, they're..."

Suddenly Butch was gone. Brick looked, but all he saw was trees. The weight of the cage was too much for the three and they began going down again. Brick tried with all his strength to keep them going up, but he couldn't. His side felt ready to rip apart as he gritted his teeth against the pain. 

An overhanging tree branch snagged in Brick's shirt, causing him to lose his grip on the cage. It tumbled through the trees to the ground below. It landed with a crash and slid down a long embankment, taking Boomer and Bubbles with it.

The tree branch Brick was caught on snapped as well and he followed the cage down. He couldn't get his bearings in time before he hit the ground and began rolling uncontrollably down the embankment. He stopped with a thump as he smacked his head on the cage which was now behind him, on its side, on the ground.

He leaned over and rubbed his head. "Ouch, that smarts." He turned to the cage and looked at Bubbles and Boomer. He grinned and reached through the bars to ruff his brother's dirty blonde hair. "Man, thought I'd never see you again, punk!"

"Normally, I'd kick your butt for that, but I'll let ya slide this time." Boomer replied with a grin of his own.

Brick chuckled. "Yeah, as if you could..." Brick looked at the cage. "Why didn't you just bust outta this thing?" he asked.

"Trust me, we tried." Boomer answered. "Never seen metal so strong. Won't bend, won't melt, nothing."

Butch appeared from through the trees. He flew over to the cage and landed in front of it, rubbing the side of his face.

"What happened to you?" Bubbles asked as she noticed Butch's nose bleeding.

"I hit a tree." he answered. He grinned upon seeing Boomer. "Hey, stranger, you wanna phone home next time you decide to disappear for awhile?"

Boomer rolled his dark blue eyes.

Butch looked at the cage. He pulled on it and asked, "Why didn't you two break out of this?"

Bubbles sighed. "We tried!" she screamed.

"We covered that already." Brick added. "Must be the same stuff as at the mission."

Blossom and Buttercup zoomed in from overhead. They landed next to the cage and the three sisters giggled and held hands as the happiness of their reunion washed over them.

Buttercup looked at the cage. "Why didn't you guys..."  
"We covered that already!" Brick yelled. "It's the same metal you tried to bust through at the mission!"

Blossom looked back the way she and Buttercup had come. "Well, we gotta try to get them out somehow. Those guys won't be far behind, I can promise you that."

Buttercup looked at Butch who was wiping the blood from his nose. "What happened to you?" she asked.

Butch shook his head in disgust. "I crashed into a tree!"

Blossom called for a regroup. "C'mon, all of us together. We'll try to bend the bars apart to let them out. Boomer, Bubbles, you work from the inside, we'll take the outside."

The four climbed on top of the cage as Boomer and Bubbles grabbed the bars from inside. They put all their strength together and pried on the bars. The bars slowly began to move apart.

"It's working!" Bubbles said.

Brick gritted his teeth and continued to pull on the bars. His side raged with pain, but he kept going. "Almost there!" he yelled.

Buttercup shoved with all her might to help get the bars apart. She reached in and grabbed Bubbles' hand. "C'mon, that's enough for you to get out."

Bubbles grinned happily and began to climb out as the four began to let up on the bars.

"No, don't let..." Boomer shouted as he snatched Bubbles back inside. As they watched, the bars snapped back into shape. They looked as if the children hadn't touched them.

Blossom blinked in astonishment. "What the - ?" She ran her hand along the bars. "How did...?"

"That's what I was talking about. I was trying to tell you to not let go." Boomer informed them.

Blossom continued to feel the bars. "That's amazing!" she exclaimed.

"No, it's annoying!" Brick corrected as he held his side. 

They heard Mojo's men making their way through the trees after them. Brick turned back to the cage. "OK, c'mon, one more time. Don't let go until they're both out."

They returned to their work, pulling and shoving on the bars together. The bars slowly opened again. Boomer nodded to Bubbles. "You first, quick!"

Bubbles shot out of the cage then joined the others to help hold the bars apart. "C'mon, Boomer!" she shouted to him.

Boomer released the bars and flew out of the cage. He hovered over their heads and shouted, "Free! I'm free!"

Blossom snatched him back down and hushed him. "Remember them?" she asked, pointing towards the trees.

She again studied the metal cage as the bars returned to their original positions. "That's unbelievable! We gotta take this cage with us."

"What?!" Buttercup snapped. "Are you crazy, I'm not carrying this thing!"

"It's too heavy anyway." Butch added.

"Yes, but think of the really neat things you could make with this stuff if somebody could figure out how it's made! Think of metal objects that never get dents or rusty! Earthquakes wouldn't destroy buildings anymore!" Blossom continued.

"No," Boomer spoke up, "we're not taking that with us." A stern look crossed his face.

"Why?" they asked in unison.

"Mojo's going to sell the formula to make it to somebody." Bubbles stated. "He's also going to hypnotize the people of a city to mine the ingredients to make it. We heard some of his guys talking about it."

"So, we'll stop him from selling the formula and take it with us!" Blossom said excitedly.

"NO!" Boomer shouted. "Don't you get it?"

"But think of all the good uses for this metal!" Blossom insisted.

"Yeah, and think of the rotten ones as well," Boomer said. "Think of an army of tanks, planes, aircraft carriers, bombs, everything made of this stuff. Then imagine they're not a very friendly army. They'd be invincible. Do you get it now?"

The implications of what Boomer had said sank into the rest of them. They stared at each other in stunned silence.

"Oh, man, he's gonna build an army with this stuff. That's the reason he needed to get rid of us so badly." Buttercup realized.

Blossom stared off blankly. "If he does, he'll be unstoppable."

"Bingo!" Boomer exclaimed.

Blossom snapped out of her gaze. An angry look crossed her face. She was now more determined than ever to stop Mojo. She turned to Bubbles. "OK, Bubbles,where's Mojo? Any idea?" she asked.

Bubbles shook her head. "No, they were getting ready to move us to the next spot when you guys showed up."

"The next spot?" Brick repeated. He leaned over and held his side again. "How many more 'spots' are there, anyway?"

"There's four clues to find him, at least that's what we heard." Boomer answered. He looked at his brother, concerned. "What's the matter with you, anyway?" 

Brick lifted his shirt and showed Boomer his side. The swelling was worse than ever and the bruises had turned completely black.

Boomer's eyes widened at seeing Brick's injuries. "What the heck is all that?" he asked.

Brick put his shirt back down and replied, "I got hit with a tranquilizer dart, then some guy kicked the crap out of me. Otherwise, I'm fine."

"You didn't say anything about getting beat up." Butch piped up.

Brick shrugged. "Cigar man." 

Boomer and Bubbles were confused. "Who's that?" they asked.

Buttercup looked up. "Oh, you aren't in on this, that's right! We've got Bolivian military after us, too. Seems Mojo told them we're terrorists. Isn't that neato?"

"Oh, and let's not forget the soccer game." Butch added.

"Soccer game?" Boomer and Bubbles questioned.

"Oh, yeah, that was a blast." Butch answered sarcastically.

"And the guy we threw in the dumpster." Brick continued.

"OOO, I loved that part!" Buttercup cooed.

"Shush!" Blossom said. She looked around to make sure she had their attention.

"OK," Blossom began, "We already have three clues. That means we still have to go to Trinidad to get the last one."

"Why?" Butch asked. "I mean, we're all together again, Brick's hurt, why don't we just take off outta here now?"

"'Cause, if Mojo's thinks he's going to get away with hypnotizing an entire city to do his dirty work, he's wrong." Blossom growled. "I'm not gonna let him. You wanna take off, fine, go ahead. I'm going to stop Mojo." She glared at the group with determination showing on her face. Mojo's men were almost through the trees to where they now stood.

"You coming, or going?" Blossom asked them all.

Brick stood up and looked at his brothers. Then he turned to Blossom. "We're with you. Let's get outta here before those goons show up."

Blossom smiled. "OK, Trinidad it is."


	19. Chapter 16 A Ride to Trinidad

**__**

Chapter 16 - A Ride to Trinidad

They flew over the trees and saw the city of Santa Cruz below. Blossom motioned for them all to land just outside of the city limits. They followed her lead, landed, then looked around. 

Butch scratched his head. "Why are we down again?" he asked.

"'Cause there's the bus station." Blossom stated.

Buttercup grumbled, "Oh, not another nasty old bus! Why don't we just keep going the way we were!"

"Low profile, remember?" Blossom explained. "We still need the last clue in Trinidad, we have to travel somehow, and flying will probably just get us shot at. Military, remember?"

"Oh yeah." Buttercup replied glumly.

They walked into Santa Cruz, looking around to see if any enemies were watching or following. As they passed a market, Butch ducked inside one door as the others kept going. He emerged on the other end of the building, his shirt full of whatever he had lifted. He dragged Boomer and Bubbles into another doorway and gave them new clothes. They came out in minutes and tossed their old clothes into a dumpster. Boomer, now with a white tee shirt, blue jeans and his black sneakers was also wearing a black baseball hat. Bubbles had a lavender skirt with white lace, a white blouse with short billow sleeves, and white slip on shoes like Blossom's. She had taken down her pigtail hairdo and was now wearing a straw sun hat with a purple flower on it.

"Hey, you look cute!" Blossom told her.

Bubbles giggled. "I love the hat!"

They walked towards the bus station, passed a turn-style display rack with maps on it. Blossom stopped and picked one of the country, paid for it, and they continued on. She opened the map and they all looked over her shoulder.

"OK, we're here now..." she explained, pointing to Santa Cruz, "...here's Trinidad. According to this route map, we can take a bus from here directly there. No layovers, at least."  
Butch pointed to a picture of a river map. "What's that?"

"Oh," Blossom began, "that's a route from someplace called Puerto Villarroel. That's like 125 miles from here. It goes to another place called Guayaramerin. Then I guess you take a bus or a cab or something to Trinidad."

"What do we look for in Trinidad?" Buttercup asked.

"Yeah, where's the next letter?" Brick added.

Blossom pulled out the latest letter and looked on the back. "A place called Santuario Chuchini. Mojo says the clue will be in one of the pottery pieces with a fish on it."

"Yeah, and the last one was supposed to be 'under the mummy', remember?" Brick said.

"Under the mummy??" Boomer asked.

Bubbles shivered. "EW!"

They reached the bus station and approached the counter. Blossom had their remaining money, mentally figuring their approximate total in her head when Buttercup stopped them. She pointed to a group of military men who had seen them walk in and were now running towards them.. "That's bad!" she exclaimed.

They turned around and ran back out of the bus station. They went down the street they had come up and turned right into an open field. There, they came upon a group of Mojo's men heading towards town. The men saw them and started running after them. 

"...and that's worse!" Buttercup shouted.

They ran from Mojo's men and as the military men reached the end of the street, the three groups met. The six children took off in a northeastern direction, trying to put as much distance between themselves and the men chasing them.

"Guess our disguises didn't work!" Bubbles cried.

"Apparently not!" Boomer added.

"Why do we keep running from these guys??" Butch shouted.

"Yeah, let's beat the stuffing outta them!" Buttercup added.

They continued running as Blossom exclaimed, "No, we'll only get in more trouble with the locals, we're the freaks, remember? Do you really think any one of them will actually help us after we beat these guys up, especially if we beat up their military?"

She turned and looked over her shoulder to see the men all drawing guns to fire at them. "We need to speed this up, though. C'mon!"

She blasted off and the rest followed as both groups of men began shooting at them. They dodged bullets whizzing by and headed toward the river. "Boat it is!" Blossom exclaimed.

They landed in Puerto Villarroel and saw more military men at the port. They skidded to a halt as the men saw them.

"How did they know to come here??" Boomer shouted.

"Well, they already had the bus station covered, this is the only other way out of Santa Cruz besides the airline." Blossom yelled as they ran from the men. "They're probably there, too, waiting!"

Brick saw a small wooden boat on the river heading in the general direction they needed to go. He led the group around a line of buildings and took off for the boat. They followed him and landed on the boat. They quickly ducked under benches on the boat's deck and hid from view as the boat came into the men's line of sight. The men looked around, frustrated that they had lost the children again. They ran back to the port to regroup as Blossom cautiously poked her head out from one of the benches to watch them go. They had not seen the children get on the boat.

The boat's operator looked back when he heard them land on his deck. He wrapped a rope around the steering wheel of the boat to keep it from drifting from its course and headed back to where the children were hiding under the benches. He stooped down and looked under one to find Bubbles huddled in a corner of the boat's deck. He smiled kindly and reached his hand out to her.

"It is OK, you come out now little one." he said in a soothing voice.

Bubbles smiled at the man and reached for his hand. Butch slapped the man's hand back and got in front of Bubbles. The man was surprised to find six children on his boat. "Dios mío!" he exclaimed. "Six? What are you doing here? You lost?"

They all came from their hiding places as the boat entred a long stretch of the river surrounded by thick forest. 

"No, we're not lost." Butch stated sternly.

Blossom spoke up. "We just needed a ride."

The man looked at them and asked, "Where you go?"

"Trinidad." Blossom replied.

The man's face lit up at the mention of the city. "Ahh, Trinidad! My home! I live there many years ago! You like it there, I promise! I live on boat, now, fish to make money."

"So, we can ride with you?" Brick asked.

The man beamed. "Of course! I catch many fish this trip. Plenty to eat and drink for long trip!"

Boomer sat on one of the benches. "How long?" he asked.

The man rubbed his chin and replied, "Could be three days, could be ten days."

"Ten days!" they groaned together.

"Yep," the man replied, "depend on tide and weather. Don't worry! I have much onboard. Ride be over before you know it!" He turned and returned to the controls of the boat.

Brick plopped on one of the benches. "Ten days? Sheesh, what else can go wrong on this trip?" He put his hand under his shirt and held his aching side.

Blossom sat across from him and rubbed her eyes. "Well, maybe it won't be so long. He said it could be only three days."

"That's still a long time, Blossom." Bubbles piped up.

"Well, it doesn't matter, I guess. We're stuck here now." Boomer added. He reached under the bench and pulled out an old turn buckle that had both its ends broken off. He toyed with the chunk of metal, then found a piece of thin rope behind the seat. He fashioned a yo-yo from the pieces and proceeded to entertain himself with it. 

Brick leaned back against the cabin of the boat and watched Boomer playing with his yo-yo. Bubbles sat looking out across the water. The sunlight glistened off the surface making it look like clean glass. "This is really neat!" she exclaimed.

Butch looked at her and replied, "It all looks the same after awhile. Hot and dreary."

Bubbles giggled. "It's fun for now. Me and Boomer spent most of the last few weeks riding in a dirty old truck! This is a new thing to me."

"Weeks?" Buttercup said. "Sheesh, has it been that long already?"

Blossom nodded. "Yep, it's been that long."

"Professor is probably really worried about us, isn't he?" Bubbles asked.

Blossom again nodded. "Yeah, Bubbles, he probably is. He knows we can take care of ourselves, though."

Butch snickered. Buttercup looked at him. "What's so funny about that?"

Brick spoke in his brother's defense. "Nothing, just that at least somebody actually notices that you three are gone, that's all."

Blossom looked at Brick who had lifted his shirt to examine his sore side. She felt a moment of sorrow for the Boys. "You guys really never had a chance in life, did you?"

Brick put his shirt down and laid his head back again. He closed his eyes and replied, "Well, let's see, made out of snips, whatever they are, snails, and puppy dog tails, borne out of a jail cell toilet by a lunatic monkey too smart for his own good, only purpose for us was to get rid of you."

Boomer continued, "...and when that didn't work, we got dumped into the sewer after you three got rid of us instead."

"Sounds like a bad movie, in a way." Butch added.

"How did you guys end up in the sewer, anyway?" Buttercup asked. "I mean, we saw you guys break down into nothing, yet you're here again."

Brick, eyes still closed, shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me." he replied.

"So, since we're playing twenty questions here, where did you three come from?" Butch asked.

Blossom giggled. "Oh, Professor Utonium wanted to make something good. Townsville was a pretty horrible place then, crime everywhere, dirty, you know..."

"He used sugar, spice, and everything nice!" Bubbles continued.

"OK, that's a given, I guess, but the super powers bit?" Boomer asked.

Buttercup yawned and said, "Oh, that's 'cause Mojo pushed him and made him crash into a container of Chemical X."

Boomer and Butch burst into laughter. "Wait, wait, wait, Mojo Jojo lived in your house? What was he, like your family pet or something?"

"No, he was Professor's lab assistant. The Chemical X blast affected him, too. It made his brain grow really big, so that's why we have Mojo Jojo now." Blossom explained.

The days and nights dragged on as they traveled slowly down the river. The boat captain prepared meals of some of the fish he caught for the day and chipped beef for them with sides of beans and rice, rice and beans, and leftover rice with a little bit of beans thrown in. They ate as the captain spun tales of his life on the river fishing for his income. He had seen pink dolphins, found sunken treasure which had in turn made him extremely wealthy, even though to look at him, they couldn't tell, even claimed to have wrestled an alligator. He smoked a large ceramic and wood pipe, the fragrant scent of mint tobacco filling the air around them. 

As days turned into nights, they settled on the benches to sleep. The captain, whose name they had discovered was Ricardo, brought out blankets and rough burlap pillows for them to use. Bubbles shivered with cold one night, and he handed her his own thick down comforter. She thanked him and snuggled in the worn but soft blanket.

As the others drifted off to sleep on the fourth night, Brick sat up, watching the water and looking at the sky. He had a thousand thoughts in his head, but the one that kept coming back was Buttercup's question. Why were he and his brothers back? He couldn't remember anything from the time Blossom kissed him to the time he woke up in the sewer. He and his brothers had wandered the streets of Townsville at night for weeks, looking for places to hide, scrounging in trash bins for anything edible, and avoiding the citizens. They had slept in alleys, underneath bridges, and in abandoned cars during the days, terrified that someone would find them and destroy them again, or, worse, drag them back to Mojo. 

After getting soaked in a rain deluge one night, Butch had come down with a vicious case of flu. His temperature had skyrocketed as he shivered uncontrollably with chills. Finally, after three days, Butch's fever broke. 

They then decided to leave Townsville in hopes of finding a place more willing to take them in. The same afternoon, Mojo Jojo made his move, snatching Boomer as the three Boys slept in a car in the local junkyard. Brick and Butch found Mojo's letter taped to the car's broken windshield, but were oblivious to its meaning. They spent the next several days searching for Boomer to no avail. They finally sought out Ms. Keane, the school teacher, to ask for her help. Brick could still see her face when he closed his eyes, her eyes wide with shock as she backed away from her front door upon seeing them. They had begged for her help and her silence and she had agreed. She had told them what was written on the envelope and directed them to the Utonium residence. She had also remarked that Brick and Butch seemed more "civilized", though at the time, neither had understood her meaning. The only difference Brick had sensed in himself and his brothers was their now missing need to trash everything in their paths. Did this mean that the Rowdyruff Boys were now suddenly "good"?

Brick chuckled to himself as he realized no one in Townsville would believe that scenario. He decided to relieve his thoughts by practicing writing his name as Blossom had instructed him. He found a piece of burnt wood and used the blackened end as a crude pencil. He said the letters softly to himself as he wrote them.

"B...R...I...C...K..." he finished, pleased with himself for remembering them all. He noticed the map and the letter tucked under Blossom's hand. He reached for them and gently pulled them out. He looked at the letter and tried to sound out the words written on the paper. He made little progress on it and gave up in frustration. He put the letter and map in his back pocket and settled down to sleep.


	20. Chapter 17 The Military Strikes Back

**__**

Chapter 17 - The Military Strikes Back

He awoke the next morning to the sounds of men shouting and motors running. Brick sat up, his side still sore, rubbed his eyes and looked out on the water. What he saw brought him fully awake in an instant. Several military boats had arrived on the scene and he saw men running around on the boats preparing weapons for use.

He crouched on the floor and made his way over to where Blossom slept peacefully. He gently shook her to wake her.

He whispered, "Blossom, wake up. There's..."

She woke with a start and punched him dead on in the mouth. Brick fell backwards and landed on his butt. He reached for his mouth, saw blood on his fingertips, and wiped it away.

Blossom sat with her hands over her mouth in shock. Butch and Boomer woke after hearing Brick cry out.

Brick shot an angry look Blossom's way. "Will you stop doing that?!" he insisted.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm SORRY!" she gasped.

"You mean this happens a lot?" Boomer asked.

"This is at least the second time she's slugged me on this trip." Brick replied. "Butch, go get Buttercup and Bubbles up. We got trouble." The other Girls were below deck since the previous night had gotten chilly enough that they were too cold to stay on deck. Butch picked up a long pole, stayed low after seeing the boats closing in on them, and headed below deck. Brick looked at him suspiciously. 

"What's the pole for?" he asked.

Butch snorted. "You want me to come out lookin' like you?"

Brick mocked laughter as Butch disappeared from sight with the pole. Boomer scooted over to Brick and handed him a rag to wipe his mouth with. He grabbed Blossom from her bench bed and dragged her to the floor. He peeked over the boat's railing to see what the military was up to.

"I take it those are the military guys?" he asked. 

Blossom nodded.

"OK, now what?" Boomer continued. 

"I say we get off this boat and the quicker the better." Brick replied. He held the rag to his mouth to stop the blood flowing from his split lip.

"Man, I can't believe you punched me!" he complained. "Again!"

Blossom rolled her eyes. "Oh, I said I was sorry. Consider it paybacks for burning my hair off!"

Butch and the Girls returned and the six huddled together to work out a plan. Buttercup looked at Brick, the rag he held now saturated with his blood. 

"What happened to you this time?" she asked.

Brick pointed to Blossom.

The Girls snickered. Then, they saw the military boats.

"Those are the other guys after us, I guess?" Bubbles asked.

Brick nodded.

"OK," Blossom said, "We get off this boat and swim for shore. C'mon, they can't see this side yet."

Blossom climbed over the railing and lowered herself into the water followed by Bubbles, Butch, and Boomer. They swam rapidly for the shoreline roughly 60 feet away. As Buttercup began to climb the railing, the military opened fire. Brick grabbed her and they flattened out on the deck. They covered their heads as chunks of wood flew all around them and the sound of ricocheting bullets filled the air. The bullets stopped as the men reloaded and Brick and Buttercup heard a voice on a loudspeaker. The man spoke in Spanish, so it meant nothing to them. Buttercup noticed a wide hole in the side of the boat just above the waterline. She kicked at the side and broke it open wider. Brick joined her and the two of them made the hole big enough for them to squeeze through and into the water. Brick shoved Buttercup through first. She splashed into the water and began to swim as fast as she could for the shore. 

Brick went to follow her. He got halfway through the hole when he suddenly felt someone grab his ankle. He turned to see five men standing on the deck of the boat and they dragged him back in through the hole and fell on him. 

"Just grab one of them!" he heard a man shout from the front of the boat. "So long as we have at least one, the others will follow!"

Brick fought the men off, but it seemed there were two more to replace each one he got away from. One brought out a long piece of rope and another came at him with an ominous looking syringe. Brick decided he didn't want to find out what was in it. He slugged one man, knocking him back through the boat's cabin. He kicked another, sending the man sailing over the side of the boat into the water with a splash. 

In the water, Buttercup saw that Brick was in trouble. She dove under the water and swam lightning fast back and around the bow of the boat. She headed for the surface, broke through with a streak of neon green light, and headed towards the six men pinning Brick on his stomach to the boat's deck. Brick's right arm had been twisted around behind his back and as he writhed to get loose, Buttercup heard him cry out as one of the men stuck a large needle into his already wounded side. She socked one of the men in the jaw, sending him flying out over the water. She grabbed the one with the syringe and yanked him up and over her head, slamming him on his back on the deck.

On the shoreline, Blossom could see that Buttercup was trying to help Brick. She turned to the others and said, "Wait here, I'm going to go help them."

"Not a chance, sweetie." Boomer replied. "We all go. C'mon!"

The four of them took off for the boat as the military men continued to pile on and pummel Brick and Buttercup.

The men looked as streaks of pink, dark green, baby blue, and navy blue came at them. Four of them were socked so hard they flew over the cabin to land in the water in front of the boat.

Boomer punched one man to get him off Brick and dragged Brick to his feet as Blossom slugged another man to release Buttercup. Bubbles kicked one of them in the stomach, bringing the man to his knees where she punched him out. Butch fried two more men with his laser eye beams. The six of them stood back in the bow of the boat. Blossom took in a deep breath and blew out with her ice breath, freezing the rest of the men in their tracks. Brick followed with a blast of his fire breath which set the entire deck of the boat on fire. The six blasted off the burning deck and rocketed towards the shoreline while the men frozen in place tried to free themselves from the ice before the flames engulfed them. The boat captain emerged from the front of the boat, saw the chaos and the fire, then the streaks of colour in the sky. He crossed himself and cried, " Dios mío!" Then he jumped overboard and swam away. 


	21. Chapter 18 A Long Night

**__**

Chapter 18 - A Long Night

"Can we just keep going up here, now?!" Butch shouted at Blossom.

"I guess we..." she began, then she noticed that Brick had slowed considerably and had started to lose altitude. He had both arms wrapped around his ailing side, and she could see there was something wrong as he looked at her with glassy eyes.

"Brick, what is it?" she asked.

Brick shook his head as if to wake himself up. "I don't know, I'm just a little woozy." he replied. His vision began to blur and he squinted to clear it.

"He got stuck with something." Buttercup explained. "I saw one of those guys with a needle. I thought I grabbed the guy in time, but maybe not."

"Aw, man, not again!" Butch complained.

Butch and Boomer grabbed Brick and dragged him with them. Brick attempted to free himself from their grip. "I'm OK," he insisted groggily, "lemme go." Then he passed out and his body went limp.

They came to the ground just outside of Guayaramerin and looked for someplace to hide out until Brick woke up. They found a burned out building with all of its windows boarded up. They approached the building from the back and looked inside. Blossom nodded her approval and Boomer and Buttercup tore the boards off one of the rear windows. Blossom floated inside and looked around. There was little left in the way of furniture in the large round room she stood in and obviously no electricity as she flipped a light switch and nothing happened. She beckoned for the others to follow her as she began cleaning out a space for them to stay. Boomer and Butch carried Brick in followed by Bubbles and Buttercup. The Boys laid Brick down on the floor and the remaining five took up positions around the large room to wait.

"What is this place?" Buttercup wondered.

"Looks like an old hotel or something." Blossom replied. "This looks like the lobby." She stood up and wandered around the rest of the building's accessible rooms. Most had been completely destroyed by the fire. The smell of ash filled the air as she floated along a long hallway. She noticed that the roof had fallen down in one room allowing the second floor room's contents to fall into the one beneath it. She found it comical to see a bathtub lying on top of a burned up couch. As she went further down the hallway, she came upon a pile of debris. It looked like someone had attempted to retrieve whatever was left after the fire from one of the rooms. She knelt in the rubble and rummaged through the blackened wood and ash in the pile. She found several books, but most were too badly damaged to even make out the titles. She dug further and found several more deeper in the pile. These were in better shape as they had been protected from water and sun damage by the others on top. She pulled them out and looked them over. There were four in all, hard covered books with what was gold imprinted writing on them at one time. The gold writing had long worn off, but she still make out the imprinted titles that consisted of some sort of family crest and the number 1768. They appeared to be part of a set of encyclopedias. One had a broken binding and she had to juggle the pages back into it as she picked it up and another had some damage to its page ends, but all were still readable. She noticed that the books were written in English, and she smiled. She picked up another book laying in the pile, but it was written Spanish. From the pictures in the book, it looked like a travel guide of some sort. She decided it might come in handy and added it to the encyclopedias. 

Blossom turned and looked to her left into the room the books may have come out of. She was saddened as she saw the room had been a library of some sort and had been gutted by fire. The massive shelves of books had all either fallen over or burned down. The roof had caved in long ago, and one wall was broken down as well. She saw a fruit tree of growing out of the rubble that had been the library's exterior wall. She put her books on top of the pile of debris she had pulled them from and floated over the rubble and burned books through the room to approach the tree. It had several limbs laden with fruit that looked like figs or kiwis. She pulled her shirt out into a kind of sack and pulled several pieces of the fruit from the tree. She picked enough to fill her shirt, floated back to the books, and struggled to pick them up. She managed to get them into the crook of her arm and floated back to the group.

It was entreing late afternoon as she returned to where the rest of the group was sitting. Boomer was looking out one of the broken windows. Bubbles and Butch were playing with what looked like a door knob, rolling it back and forth to each other. Buttercup was doodling in the ash with a stick.

Boomer turned as Blossom entred the room. "I'm hungry!" he announced.

Buttercup grumbled. "Is that all you guys think of? Food?" she asked.

Blossom giggled and answered, "Well, here, Boomer, try these." She carefully dumped the fruit in her shirt onto the floor and passed several pieces to each of them. Boomer took a huge bite of one of them, liked it, and chowed down on the rest of it.

Bubbles held one of hers up and asked, "What is it?"

Blossom shrugged. "Don't know. I found them growing on a tree in one of the rooms."

Boomer looked up from his feast, juice from the fruit running down his chin, and replied, "Who cares! They're good!" He further examined the piece he was eating and added, "I think it's kiwi." He turned the fruit towards Bubbles and showed her the ring of black fibers within the green rings of fruit. "See?" he asked.

Bubbles smiled. "Neato!" She bit into her fruit and smiled. "Hey, this is good!"

The afternoon wore on into evening. They made several trips to the kiwi tree and helped themselves to its fruit. They sat in the room watching the sun cross the sky. Blossom had begun reading through the encyclopedias and had given the book in Spanish to Bubbles. Bubbles paged through the book as Butch looked over her shoulder. 

Blossom came across a word she couldn't make out. It appeared Spanish. "Hey, Bubbles, what does 'La Santisima' mean?"

"'Most Holy'", Butch replied.

Bubbles looked at him with a smile. "Wow, you speak Spanish, too?" she asked.

Butch nodded. "Yep."

Buttercup grumbled from her doodling. "Yeah, these guys are all messed up." She pointed to Butch. "He's got night vision like me, but speaks Spanish like you."

"Cool!" Bubbles exclaimed.

"He's also got that sonic voice like you, but, so far, no tornado bit." Buttercup added.

"No, that's me." Boomer replied as he munched on another kiwi.

Buttercup rolled her eyes. "See what I mean? Messed up."

Boomer looked at Buttercup and frowned. "Not like this experiment we call life was an exact science, now was it?"

"What difference does it make, anyway?" Butch shot back.

"None to anybody else except her, I guess." Boomer replied, still staring at Buttercup.

"Hush, you guys." Blossom said from her book. "Let's not worry about the whys or hows, let's just consider ourselves lucky we have what we have, OK?" She shook her head in disgust.

Boomer shrugged and returned to devouring kiwis. He looked at Brick, still sound asleep on the floor. He nodded towards his brother and asked, "How long's he gonna be out, anyway?"

Blossom shrugged. "I don't know. Last time he got it, we were all out cold. Woke up in a totally different place on a different day, in fact." she replied.

"He's gonna be OK, though, right?" Boomer asked.

Blossom nodded. "Except for whatever's wrong with his side, he's no different than when we left."

"Well, that and the busted lip from you slugging him." Buttercup snickered.

Blossom glared at her. "I already told him I was sorry for that. Can't help it. He sneaks up on me and wakes me up, I swing first, ask questions later."

Storm clouds began gathering overhead as the evening twilight faded into darkness. Boomer jumped as Brick suddenly moved. He groaned and rolled over onto his stomach. He put his arms around his head and slowly opened his eyes.

"Aw, man, that stuff gives you a killer headache!" Brick stated. He pulled his knees up under himself and continued to hold his head. A crack of thunder made them all jump.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Brick moaned. Boomer took one of Brick's arms and made him sit up. 

"C'mon, shake it off." Boomer told him.

"Easy for you to say." Brick replied. He rubbed his side again and looked around. "Where are we?"

"Guayaramerin," Blossom replied. "We'll probably have to stay here until morning. This storm's looking pretty bad anyway."

"What's Guay-a-rah-rah, whatever you said?" Brick asked.

Blossom put her book down as a street light's flickering was now too dim to read by. "It's where the boat we were on was supposed to dock. Trinidad's not far from here. We'll head out as soon as it's light." she explained.

The rain began falling heavily and trickled in on them through the burned out roofs of the hotel. The wind blew hard and strong causing the weakened hotel to creak and sway with its force. They heard a crash as a section of one of the rooms fell in from the storm's force.

"I say we move right now!" Buttercup shouted over the storm. "At least the worst that will happen outside is we'll get wet!"

"I'm with her!" Boomer shouted.

"But what about the lightning!?" Bubbles shrieked. She cowered down next to Butch as another crack of thunder shook the hotel.

Blossom looked at the roof. The rain poured through the boards and she could see them bending downward with the rain's weight. She nodded. "OK, let's go. I just hope we pick the right direction!" she yelled.

Butch pointed towards the centre of town. "We go that way!" he shouted. "From what Bubbles and me can get out of this book, Trinidad is over that way, past town, through some woods."

Boomer grabbed Brick's arm and dragged him to his feet. Blossom grabbed his other arm and the two of them helped him through the rear broken window. The rain poured down on them as they stood outside. Brick leaned over with his hands on his knees as his head continued to spin from the tranquilizer. They heard a loud snap then a groaning sound and jumped back as the hotel's main rear wall fell outwards towards them. 

They then watched the rest of the building collapse in on itself. As lightning flashed, they saw that the room they had been in was now completely destroyed.

Brick stood up and surveyed the crumpled building. "OK, that'll clear the head!" he exclaimed.

"Can we please go now?" Bubbles asked.

"OK, let's go." Blossom instructed.


	22. Chapter 19 Trinidad and the Last Letter

**__**

Chapter 19 - Trinidad and the Last Letter

As dawn approached, the rain stopped and the sunlight felt warm on their skin. They landed outside of Trinidad and surveyed the city limit.

"OK, where now?" Buttercup asked.

"We have to find Santuario Chuchini. I don't know if it's a museum, a city ruin or what, though." Blossom stated.

"That doesn't sound like a name for a building," Bubbles said. "More like a name for something you don't know what else to call it."

"Huh?" Blossom asked.

"Like, you call a TV a TV 'cause there's really nothing else to call it." Butch explained. "I don't know, it's kinda hard to explain."

Bubbles pulled their Spanish travel book from Butch's back pocket. "OOO, wait, let's see..." she paged through the book. "OK, Trinidad. Let's see, 'founded in 1686 by Padre Cipriano Barace...', he was a monk. 'Originally on the shores of Mamore river...relocated in 1769 due to bugs and floods...capital city of the department of Beni...about 68,700 people...', OK, attractions." she said. "Make sure you see the Santuario Chuchini."

"That's not a big help." Buttercup pointed out.

Bubbles continued. "It's a collection of prehistoric earthworks they think were made by the Paititis over 5,000 years ago. That's an old Indian tribe from around here." she finished.

"What kind of earthworks?" Blossom wondered.

"Aw, man, more dead people?" Butch grumbled.

Bubbles giggled. "No, these are like pottery. You know, pitchers, bowls and stuff. The people dig them out of the ground and sell them as souvenirs."

"No mention of cremation urns or coffins, right?" Brick asked.

Bubbles scanned the page. "Nope, not here."

"I was joking." Brick pointed out.

Blossom nodded. "OK, we know what we're looking for now. Let's go."

They walked into town and looked around the narrow streets. They saw a group of children playing catch as a mutt of a dog chased the ball back and forth between them. A woman was beating a long rug with a broom over a balcony over their heads and they saw some elderly men lounging in front of a restaurant.

"Everything looks quiet here." Blossom noticed. 

"Maybe we beat 'em here." Buttercup suggested, referring to those following them.

"Let's not count on it, OK?" Brick said.

Bubbles tried to wipe some dirt from her lavender skirt. "Oh, I'm dirty!" she complained.

"So?" Butch snorted. "We all are."

"That reminds me," Boomer spoke up. "Why did you make me change my jeans when you guys still have yours?"

"'Cause you stunk, Boomer," Butch replied, "You still smelled like the sewer."

Brick chuckled. "Yeah, like Mojo snatched you right as you crawled out."

"We all crawled into the same box in the same alley that night, guys," Boomer pointed out, "Remember that?"

"Yeah," Butch snickered, "Difference is, you stunk!"

"Oh, like you guys are any better?" Boomer shot back. 

"Actually, yeah," Brick answered, grinning, "We are better!"

"Professor Utonium made us take a bath." Butch groaned.

Bubbles giggled. She leaned towards Blossom and whispered "...and they don't wear any underwear!" in her ear.

Blossom covered her mouth to keep from bursting into laughter. She then told the secret to Buttercup who laughed out loud.

Boomer rolled his eyes. "You told 'em anyway?" he asked Bubbles.

Bubbles grinned. "Well, yeah, of course. Duh!"

Blossom giggled and replied, "Don't worry, you're secret's safe with us."

The three Girls continued to laugh as the group walked along. Brick, after Butch told him what 'the big secret' was, shrugged and asked, "So? What's the big deal?"

They wandered around Trinidad for hours looking for the Santuario Chuchini with little success. It was hot, muggy, and their frustrations were mounting as the heat increased. Finally, Butch spoke up.

"This is stupid. I'm gonna ask." he told the group.

"No, Butch, every time we've done that, we get caught!" Blossom grabbed his arm to stop him.

Butch pulled loose from her grip and continued on. They watched him go into a small store. After what seemed like hours, he came back out. He looked extremely annoyed and continued passed them. They chased after him down the street.

"Well?" Boomer asked.

Butch continued on in silence.

"What did you find out?" Blossom insisted.

Still, Butch continued on.

Brick grabbed Butch by the back of his shirt and spun him around to face them. "C'mon, what did you find out?" he demanded.

Butch threw Brick's grip off. An angry look remained on his face. "We passed it already." he stated.

"Huh?" they asked in unison.

"La hacienda pequeña a la derecha de la ciudad." he said.

"On the right?" Bubbles asked. "I don't remember anything there."

"Well, trust me, that's what the guy said. Mojo's messing with us still." Butch explained. He led the group back to the city limits to a small tent now on their left. He pointed to it and said, "That's the one."

They stood gaping at the tent. "That's it??" Buttercup exclaimed. "We've been looking for..."

"...something bigger, I know." Butch cut her off. "Everyplace we've had to look up 'til now has been large scale. We just figured this would be the same, right?"

"The Witches' Market, the soccer game..." Blossom stated.

"...the mummies." Buttercup finished.

"This really has been a game to him, hasn't it?" Brick stated. "Anything to throw us off track and..."

"...and tear us apart." Butch stated. "He knows that if we don't stay together, we'll never catch him. Anything to make us mad at each other, and aggravating us is one way to do just that."

"Well, if anything, that should make us want to stay together that much more, right?" Bubbles asked.

"You got that right." Blossom replied. "OK, we go in that tent and find this letter. I don't care if we have to trash the place and break everything in there. We find that letter."

Buttercup cheered, "All right!!"

They entred the tent as the couple within looked up at them. Seeing their determined faces, the couple decided to head for more hospitable surroundings and fled the tent. Pottery of various shapes, sizes and usages was stacked everywhere within the tent. Blossom walked over to one stack and kicked the bottom bowl out from under it. The entire pile crashed to the floor in a shower of clay fragments. She toed through the remnants, but found no letter.

"You know some of this stuff is over 5,000 years old, right?" Buttercup asked her.

Blossom turned toward her with a crooked smile of grim satisfaction on her face. "So?" she replied.

Buttercup grinned as well. She, too, smashed a pile of pottery, looked through the pieces, and found no letter.

They spread out around the tent and began destroying everything in their path. The Boys flew around the uppermost regions of the tent and pushed pots over to the floor. The Girls searched the pieces and still found no letter. They continued until Bubbles and Butch called for their attention. They motioned the rest back down and into a huddle near the tent's entrance. Bubbles smiled, giggled, and said, "Now, cover your ears!"

Bubbles and Butch let out ear-splitting shrieks using their sonic voices. The pottery in the tent began to shake with the blast of sound, then the mass tumbled down, exploding with the shock waves that penetrated it. When the dust cleared, the rest of the group uncovered their ears and looked around. There, on top of the pile of dust and clay pieces was the letter, showing through like Excalibur from its stone. Bubbles flew over and plucked the letter from the pile, then flew it back to Blossom.

"You take the fun outta everything." Buttercup added.

Bubbles hovered over them and just giggled.

Blossom tore the letter open and read aloud:

__

"Dear Powerpuff Girls AND my "precious" Rowdyruff Boys:

"Hey, he mentions you guys in this one!" Blossom stated. Then she continued.

__

"You have almost reached the end of your journey. I await your arrival with open arms for my 'Boys'. By now, you must be prepared to kill each other, but alas, Boomer and Bubbles still need your rescuing.

"Gee, guess he didn't plan on us having you guys out by now, huh?" Buttercup snorted.

"Butch was right, too. He hoped we'd be at each other's throats by now." Brick pointed out.

"What's the 'open arms' bit for us about?" Boomer asked.

"Who knows." Brick replied. "Better yet, who cares. Keep going, Blossom."

Blossom continued:

__

"Here is the final clue for you:

'My second coming has been long awaited as a glorious event. Now, they shall see just how glorious it will be! My rays of wisdom will ensnare them all. They will be powerless to oppose me! Then, they will serve my every command for I am their king and my name is Jesus!'

Do you think you can keep from killing each other long enough to find me? I am certain things will be quite unlike what you expect should you find it in yourselves to come here and challenge me.

Should you decide to continue the game, go now! I am waiting...

Blossom turned the letter over and saw no map as the others had had. She furrowed her brow, confused by Mojo's last letter. 

"OK, monkey-boy, go where?" she thought out loud.

Butch sighed. "I guess we're supposed to have figured out where he is by now." he suggested.

Blossom crumpled up the letter in anger and threw it on the ground. She turned and left the tent. They watched her go in stunned silence. Buttercup knelt and picked up the letter and stuffed it in her pocket. They followed Blossom out of the tent. They caught a glimpse of her entreing a shop and hurried to catch her. They went inside and saw her sitting at a round table with her head in her hands.

" Cómo están?" the waitress at the counter said to them.

"Bien, señorita, seis colas, por favor." Bubbles replied. The group joined Blossom at the table. Bubbles sat next to Blossom and took her hand. She tried to comfort her sister. "It's OK, Blossom." she said.

Blossom let out a long sigh. She looked up at the group and they could see that she was on the verge of tears. "This has been the worst trip I've ever had." she explained. "I want to beat Mojo so badly, but can't figure out how. How are we supposed to beat him if we can't find him?" she asked. "Worse part is, what if we're too late to stop him?"

Brick shrugged. "We just gotta put our heads together and figure it out." he stated.

"Bolivia's a big country," Blossom continued, "There's literally thousands of places he could be hiding!"

The waitress brought their sodas, passed napkins to each one of them, then left. When she was out of sight, Buttercup slammed her fist on the table. She glared at her sister.

"What, are you giving up now?" she asked Blossom, "After all this, you're gonna sit there and tell me you're quitting?!"

"No, but..." Blossom began.

"But nothin'!" Buttercup yelled at her. She pulled the crumpled letter from her pocket and slammed it on the table. She smoothed it out as best she could then shoved it toward Blossom.

"You take this, get the other three out and we all go over the clues and figure this out!" she raged.

Blossom nodded sadly. She pulled the other three letters from her pocket. She sat back and looked out the window, fighting back tears.

"I'll be right back." she said, "I'm going to the ladies' room." She left the table and disappeared around the cashier's counter.

In the ladies' room, she leaned over the sink, turned on the cold water, put her hand under it, and wiped her face. The cool water made her feel better, but she couldn't shake the hopeless sinking feeling in her heart.. To have dragged all of them this far only to fail was gnawing at her. 

She turned off the water, regained her self-control, and left the ladies' room. As she passed the cash register, she noticed a picture calendar on the wall behind it. She blinked and rubbed her eyes to make sure it wasn't a hallucination. The waitress who had brought them their sodas walked by. Blossom grabbed the woman's apron and pointed to the picture. "Excuse me, but where is that?" she asked.

" Qué?" the woman answered.

Blossom rolled her eyes and pointed to the calendar again. "What is that?" she asked slowly.

The woman shook her head. " Qué?" she repeated. "No comprendo inglés."

Blossom became enraged. She flew at lightning speed over the cash register, frightening the waitress badly enough that she dropped the tray of food she was carrying. Blossom ripped the calendar off the wall, then flew to the table to the others. The other customers in the shop took off running, crossing themselves and screaming.

Blossom showed the others the calendar. "I got it!" she exclaimed as she hovered over the table, a gleam of excitement flashing in her eyes. The picture was of a huge statue of Jesus Christ. The statue was gleaming white and stood with his arms outstretched on a rocky hill . The picture description on the bottom read 'El Cristo de la Concordia, Cochabamba, Bolivia'.

Brick grinned and pulled the map he had in his back pocket out. They looked at it together and found Cochabamba less than 200 miles from where they were. Buttercup also noticed that La Paz was close to Cochabamba and she sat back with a huff.

"Geez, we were right near there already!" she pointed out.

"More games from Mojo." Butch added. "That's where we started this trip." he explained to Boomer.

Blossom traced a route on the map through the river they had already been on as well. "Well, we can take this way, go back to Santa Cruz, or..." she stopped. A wicked grin crossed her face, confusing the others.

"Blossom?" Bubbles asked cautiously, "What's'a matter?"

Blossom snickered and replied, "...or, we take the short cut." She pointed at Trinidad where they now were and drew her finger straight across the map to Cochabamba. She looked up at the rest of the group with a smile on her face.

Brick nodded and grinned. Butch chuckled. "Short-cut." Buttercup threw her arms up and shouted, "All right!!"

"Shall we go?" Brick asked humourously, extending his hand towards Blossom as if asking for the next dance.

Blossom took his hand and replied, "Oh, LET'S!"

They blasted through the roof of the restaurant and streaked across the sky towards Cochabamba and El Cristo monument.


	23. Chapter 20 We Meet Again, Mojo!

**__**

Chapter 20 - We Meet Again, Mojo

Mojo's men scurried around the dome-like structure they had constructed at the base of El Cristo. Mojo stood overlooking the city of Cochabamba, eager to put his plans into action.

"As soon as the ray hits the town, the people there will be mine to control!" he bellowed. He turned with a flourish of his long purple cape and entred the dome. He stopped suddenly as he heard a sound, a familiar sound he had heard many times in the past. He turned and looked into the sky. Far in the distance, he could see six streaks of colour coming towards his camp. His eyes widened as he realized what the colours were. The Powerpuff Girls AND his own Rowdyruff Boys were approaching at super sonic speed. He yelled orders to those around him and hurried inside the dome. He quickly strapped himself into his machine and pushed buttons on the control panel to set coordinates for his hypnotic ray gun. He shoved the lever forward and watched as huge purple rays shot out of El Cristo's eyes, mouth, and fingertips and stretched towards Cochabamba. The rays nailed the entire city and it glowed purple from the blast.

"He hit the town already!" Bubbles cried out. "What do we do now?"

"We kick some hiney!" Buttercup bellowed. The group streaked over the camp, blasting anything in their path with their laser eye beams. Mojo's men ran everywhere in panic as trucks, crates, tents, and other buildings exploded from the laser blasts.

Mojo slammed his fists down on the console of his machine and yelled, "A-cursed Powerpuff Girls!" He unstrapped himself and went outside to face them and his Boys. Upon seeing him, the children swooped in on him. Buttercup slammed him at super speed, carrying him with her until she dumped him on the ground. Bubbles followed with a kick that sent him flying down a hill. Brick met him at the end of the hill and socked him back up. Boomer grabbed him at the top and flung him into a stack of crates. Butch picked him back up and punched him backwards. He tumbled across the ground and came to a stop in front of Blossom. She hit him with her ice breath as he stood up, freezing his feet to the ground.

Mojo held up his hands and let out an evil laugh. He held a small remote in his hand and yelled, "You're too late, Powerpups! As you can see..." He indicated a spot behind the six. They turned to see the entire population of Cochabamba headed towards them with glassy eyes and various forms of weaponry from clubs to semi-automatic rifles.

The children stared with wide eyes as the hypnotized townspeople came after them screaming. Buttercup kicked and punched anything and anyone who came near her. Bubbles took several of the people up in the air and dropped them into a nearby drainage ditch full of water. 

Hearing the splash, Boomer turned to see the water ditch. He called to Buttercup. "C'mon, follow me!" The two flew over to the water ditch and began spinning up water spouts with tornado force. The blue and green spouts headed over a crowd of people, sucked them up into the water, and deposited them in the ditch.

Blossom froze an entire group in their tracks with her ice breath, then was attacked from behind by more. Several of them piled on her, kicking and punching at her.

Butch shot over to help her. He threw the people off Blossom like rag dolls until they dragged him to the ground as well.

Brick fought back a crowd with all his might. He punched and kicked the people aside until one of the men slammed him in the stomach with a baseball bat. He screamed in agony as the blow hit him in his injured side and he fell to his knees. The people around him fell on him, clubbing and kicking him. 

They were overcome by the people. They mustered their strength and each blasted out of the mobs of people pinning them to the ground. They flew up and back and landed in a circle inside the ring of crazed townspeople. They stood glaring at the townspeople, each huffing and puffing. 

"There's too many of 'em!" Buttercup shouted.

"We can't take them all." Boomer yelled.

"We gotta snap them out of their trances." Brick said. He wiped the blood flowing from his mouth and held his side now raging with pain.

"But how?" Bubbles shrieked.

"We better figure it out fast before they kill us." Butch told them.

"Bet'cha Mojo can tell us." Blossom stated as she turned towards him. He stood on a crate and held the remote aloft. He continued to cackle and cheer as the townspeople clobbered the Girls and his Boys. She saw the remote and took a chance. She blasted the remote from Mojo's hand with her laser eye beams and watched as he dropped the now fiery hot device to the ground. It melted into a black pool of plastic. 

Almost instantaneously, the townspeople stopped. They blinked and looked at each other. They looked around and saw Mojo and his cronies and began running and screaming. Apparently, Mojo had been terrorizing them for quite awhile. Mojo's men began shouting at them, pushing and shoving their way through the masses to take on the children.

"Aw, man, does this ever end?" Butch asked. He punched one man as he came running towards them, sending the man flying backwards into a tent.

"At least the odds are more even now!" Buttercup yelled as she sent another man flying over a pile of burning crates. 

They defeated Mojo's remaining men easily, then they turned to take Mojo himself. Mojo backed away, hands up in front of him. 

"Oh, come now, do you really want to beat me up now?" he asked sarcastically.

"You bet'cha!" Bubbles stated.

"You're finished, Mojo, might as well give it up now!" Blossom yelled at him.

"Long trip for nothin', huh, Mojo?" Boomer teased.

Mojo Jojo stopped and looked at the Boys. His face melted into fatherly love as he spoke to them. 

"Oh, my Boys, you wouldn't really harm your father, now, would you?" he asked innocently. "Join me instead! We can be a family together and rule anywhere we want! You haven't really fallen for these Girls simple lies of peace and justice, have you? We are better than them! We can rise above all this and be together again!" he insisted.

Brick picked up the baseball bat on the ground and glared at Mojo. He made a move to swing it at Mojo, then stopped. He lowered the bat and paused, still glaring at the evil monkey-turned-villain. Then, he smiled at Mojo. 

"Nah, you're right, I guess we can't hurt you, huh?" Brick said. His breathing became more laboured as he wiped more blood from his mouth and onto his shirt. "That wouldn't be very fair, right?"

Buttercup made a move to tackle Brick and beat him, but Blossom stopped her. The three Girls stood and watched to see what he was going to do.

"I told you they couldn't be trusted!" Buttercup shouted at Blossom.

"What do you mean 'THEY'?" Butch shot back. He, too watched Brick to see what he was up to.

Mojo grinned a wicked grin at Brick. He stretched his arms out to Brick as if to embrace him. "Come, my son, we'll go together, make the world our own!" he promised.

Boomer grabbed Brick's arm and shouted, "What are you doin'?"

Brick shook off Boomer's hold and continued on towards Mojo, still dragging the bat with him.

"Yeah, that could be fun, huh?" Brick asked Mojo. "Just you and me, right?" 

Mojo nodded and reached for Brick. "Just you and me, Brick!"

Brick stopped suddenly. Mojo looked at him, stunned. "What the-?"

"Nah, I don't think so,...dad." Brick swung the bat up with all his strength and smacked Mojo with it, sending him sailing back over the camp and into the ditch. Mojo landed with a huge splash, surfaced, and raged his fury as Brick muttered, "Homerun."

Boomer and Butch clutched at their chests and turned to their brother. "What was all that for?" Butch demanded.

"Could you have scared the crap out of us any more than that?" Boomer asked.

Brick spat blood on the ground and turned to them. "Hey, got him goin', though, didn't it?" He grinned at them and they snickered together.

"I was gonna kick your butt in about another minute!" Buttercup told Brick. "I really thought you were serious!"

"So did I!" Bubbles perked in.

Brick shook his head. "Nope, not going there again. Besides, we made a deal, remember?" he said as he looked at Blossom. She smiled and nodded her head.


	24. Chapter 21 Homeward Bound

**__**

Chapter 21 - Homeward Bound

They wrapped Mojo up in wire and rope and flew towards La Paz University and Professor Gershwin's lab. They dumped Mojo into the shipping box they had arrived in, slammed the lid, and turned the lock.

"Oh, wait a sec." Brick said. He opened the box and Mojo looked up at him. 

"You reconsidered?" Mojo asked.

Brick paused and furrowed his brow. He ripped the inside release handle out of the box and turned back to Mojo. "Nope."

He slammed the lid back over Mojo and relocked the box.

After taking long awaited and long deserved baths and donning clean clothes sent by Professor Utonium, they slept the whole way home in first class, on the flight Professor Gershwin had arranged for them.

They flew over Townsville carrying the metal shipping box with them. The people of Townsville pointed to the streaks of colour in the sky. "Look, they're back!" one man exclaimed. The people below cheered them on as they dropped the shipping box through the roof of Townsville Penitentiary. It landed with a crash in the lobby as several police officers appeared to drag it to one of the jail cells. 


	25. Chapter 22 Finallyalmost there!

**__**

Chapter 22 - And Finally...

The Rowdyruff Boys stood in front of the Utonium residence. The Girls and Professor Utonium came out to see them off. 

"What did the doctor say?" Professor asked Brick, pointing to his side.

Brick pulled his jersey up to show them where he had been taped up. "A few broken ribs, no big deal."

"Where will you go now?" Bubbles asked.

Butch shrugged. "There's a boys' ranch just outside of town. They say we can stay there."

Brick rubbed his hands together in front of himself and grinned. "Yummy, all the gruel we can eat!"

Buttercup made a face. "Ew, gross!"

"Better than starving," Boomer stated, "Or feasting out of dumpsters, that's for sure."

"What will happen to you guys?" Blossom asked Brick.

Brick shrugged. "Don't know. Hopefully, we'll be adopted. They say they'll try to put us together someplace, but no guarantees."

"You mean, you might be split up?" Bubbles asked.

"That's possible, I guess." Boomer replied. "If they can't find somebody who wants all three of us. Either that, or we can go on our own when we're old enough." 

Blossom looked at Professor Utonium. "This isn't fair, Professor!"

"I know, Girls, but it's all we can do for now." he answered.

Butch spoke up. "Hey, they're gonna teach us how to write , too."

Professor Utonium studied the Boys, rubbing his chin in thought. "Hmmm, so you can read, now, is what you're telling me?" he asked.

"A little bit." Brick replied. "Blossom taught us some."

"Aw, no fair!" Boomer complained

Professor produced a scrap of paper and a pen from his lab coat pocket. He scribbled on the paper for several minutes and handed the paper to Brick. "OK, show me what you've learned. I'd like to see for myself."

Brick took the paper and Butch peeked over his shoulder to see what Professor had written.

"OK, let's see..." Brick began slowly, "Brick, Butch and Boomer..."

"Hey, lemme see!" Boomer yelped as he tried to look over Brick's other shoulder. Brick shoved him back in annoyance. "Get away, mole!" he grumbled.

"C'mon, I wanna see what my name looks like!" Boomer complained. Brick rolled his eyes as Boomer edged forward to peek over his shoulder again.

"We will keep our room clean,...do what...we're told,...study...our lessons..." Brick scratched his head and furrowed his brow. "We will eat our vege...veg..."

"Vegetables..." Butch finished.

"Oh, yeah, that's right." Brick answered. "We will do our...chores...pick up after ourselves..." Brick continued, "We will keep out of truub...trubb.."

"Trouble..." Butch said.

"I know, I know!" Brick told him. "OK, that's the first part. Profff...Pruf..." Brick paused and held the paper out in an attempt to figure out the next word. Butch was helpless as well.

"Oh, let me see." Blossom said. Professor Utonium stepped forward. "Here, I'll help." He leaned over the Boys as Brick pointed to the troubling word. "OK, who am I?" Professor asked.

"Professor." the three answered.

"No, my whole name." Professor encouraged them.

"Oh, Professor Utonium." Brick answered.

Professor pointed to the confusing phrase. "OK, that's my name there."

Brick grinned. "Oh, OK, I get it! OK, Professor Utonium. I will...in return... give...the Boys a...room...of their own,...good food,..."

"Hey, that's always good!" Butch stated.

"Shut up, man, I'm readin'!" Brick grumbled at him.

"...clean clothes,...an edu...ca...tion, and support. In short,...I will...pro...vide for and...take the...Rowdyruff Boys into...my...house...as my...own."

"You mean it, Professor?!" Blossom asked excitedly.

"Well, it IS up to them." Professor replied. "But I think they've proven themselves." He turned to the Boys. "Those are the rules and the rewards, Boys. What do you think?"

The Boys stood with wide eyes and jaws hanging open. Brick looked up and grinned. "Yeah, that'd be great!"

Boomer jumped up and down with glee and shouted, "WHOO-HOO!"

"Awesome!" Butch answered.

"Aw, man, now we have little brothers?!" Buttercup groaned.

"Little?" Butch asked.  
"Well, we WERE here first, you know!" Buttercup answered.

They headed into the house still arguing over sibling hierarchy. Professor held the door open for the six of them as they went in. He paused on the front step, looked to the sky, and said, "Six! Wow, I've got a full house now!" He chuckled and closed the door behind himself.


	26. FinaleBet'cha you thoug it would NEVER e...

**__**

...A Final Tidbit...

Roughly five months later...

Blossom sat at Pokey Oaks Kindergarten, breezing through a book on the Andes' mummies as Bubbles sat with a pair of scissors trying to cut out a flower she'd drawn. Buttercup sat on the floor with Mitch playing smash 'em up trucks when the hotline phone in the classroom rang. Blossom zipped over to it and spoke to the Mayor.

"You got it, Mayor, we're on our way!" she said and hung the phone up. "Girls, move out!" She went to the door of the classroom and whistled down the hall. "C'mon, slackers, we got work!"

Brick stood up and replied, "Yeah, we heard it." He craned his neck in an attempt to finish the page he was reading in a book as Boomer and Butch dragged him outside.

The six of them shot out of the school yard to take on the Gangrene Gang in their latest round of hi-jinx. They were in the Circle J convenience store, causing mayhem and mischief. The Girls and the Boys arrived, pummeled the Gang, and deposited them in the Townsville prison. Their work here was done!

**_...and so for the very first time, the day...is saved...thanks to the Powerpuff Girls AND the Rowdyruff Boys!_**


End file.
